The Story of Love
by katherineismikaelson
Summary: (Second book in series) Klaus has her heart. But so does Stefan. Yet with Elena still in danger of Klaus, Courtney Gilbert has no time for love. When she starts seeing her ex-boyfriend and is almost killed by a dead witch, she definitely has no time for flirting. But when the Originals come to town, Courtney's pulled back into the drama freak show that is her life. K/OC/S
1. Chapter 1

_One_

"So where are we going?" I asked Klaus as I adjusted my jacket. Klaus shrugged at me as he drove. "Are you serious? You don't know where you're taking us?"

"Courtney, I planned only for Stefan. But now that I have your sweet ass along for the ride, I have a change of plans," Klaus said. Stefan sat quietly in the back of the car as Klaus and I argued. He hadn't said much since he killed that girl. I wasn't sure what I could say to him before Klaus shushed me from talking to him. Klaus wasn't completely aware that Stefan and I were lovers before. So I had to keep it on the down low that Stefan did mean something to me a little more than a friend. I didn't really know how to explain it though.

"Klaus," I sighed, annoyed with his whole act. I shook my head at him, and then looked out the window. "You are going to fuck us up." After that, Klaus didn't say anything. He just sat there and drove all night. I fell asleep to some Justin Bieber while Klaus had his eyes on the road the whole time. Sure, he was a hybrid, but he was fucking amazing. Me? I couldn't have pulled an all-nighter. That shit was hard.

(Since Elena died, I hadn't had my powers back, but I still wasn't feeling the way I assumed I'd feel. You know, drowsy, sleepy, and the feeling of death. I felt the exact same way as I did before. I felt angry, and I had energy to yell. If I was dying, how was I still up and at it? How was I able to yell, scream, stomp, and generally hate (and love) Klaus and not feel like I was dying? I didn't tell anyone about the whole thing, and just decided to keep it to myself. Though I still didn't have my powers, I didn't think I was going to die anytime soon. Maybe even if I did fail my purpose, I still had a chance at living.)

"Now I have an idea," Klaus claimed as we pulled into a parking lot. I waited for him to say something, but all he did was turn off the car and get out. Stefan followed his suit. So I was the last one to get out. "My things are already here. You both can borrow something of mine."

Klaus led us into a hotel. It wasn't anything fancy really, but it was better than the usual ones you saw on the street. As we walked, Stefan didn't bother to say anything to me. Or even look at me. His eyes were just focused up ahead as he walked. I even tried to wave at him and make it obvious that I wanted his eye contact. Yet Stefan still didn't reply. I was thinking maybe it was because he was still mad at me for sleeping with Klaus. Then I got the idea that he didn't want Klaus to think there was anything between us. That would certainly make Klaus lose it and pull out someone's heart.

"Mikaelson, darling. Already checked in, just need the key," Klaus said to the woman sitting at the desk. She friendly smiled at him and started typing on her computer. I looked around at the interior of the hotel and I was impressed. It was going for more of a retro kind of look more than a traditional. Since Klaus was so old, I assumed that he would like the traditional, but apparently he was trying to be more like this generation.

"If you'll show me some ID, I'll get you set up—"

"You won't need any idea," Klaus compelled, "Just give me the room key."

The girl's face went blank. After a second, she suddenly started pulling out a key and giving it to Klaus. "4th floor, second door on your right. Have a nice stay," she said to him, monotone.

Klaus smirked and said, "Thanks, love."

He then started walking to the elevator. I was too caught up in the interior to realize that we were moving. I had to run to catch up the two men walking into the elevator without me. Stefan found his way behind Klaus, so I decided I'd join him in the back. But while the elevator moved, Stefan still didn't look at me. I wondered if he was even thinking of me at the moment, or if his mind was stuck on _Elena. _Ugh, that name disgusted me. She should have died when Klaus killed her. The Salvatore's should have just let her die. She was no use to them. All she was doing was causing them pain. I hated seeing Stefan in pain. I hated seeing Damon in pain too, since he was the one getting rejected most of the time.

No one talked as the elevator moved us up to the fourth floor of the building. With a ding, the elevator opened its doors, and once again, Klaus was walking and Stefan was following. Both tall men, they had long, fast strides that I had trouble keeping up with. Fortunately, the room was the second on our right, so I didn't have to run far to keep up.

"There are only two beds, so someone's going to have to share," Klaus informed us before opening the door. I knew what he was getting at and I shook my head.

"I'll call up room service and get them to bring us some extra sheets," I said to Klaus. "You can sleep on the floor."

Klaus didn't look amused. (Not that I expected him to be.) He finally opened the door, but he didn't let me go in. "Stefan, go ahead and choose your bed. Courtney and I need to have a little chat." Stefan did exactly as told and left Klaus and me in the hallway. I hoped that the residents didn't mind a little yelling, because that was what I was probably going to be doing. Every conversation with Klaus now had a little yelling in the mix. Along with a pinch of cussing. Klaus closed the door behind Stefan even though we both knew he could easily listen in on our conversation. "Courtney, you can either be a good girl, or you can make this hard on both of us. Please, just stop acting like a brat, and we could get on with the whole thing. No one needs to be bossy or sarcastic, although I do like that about you. But Courtney, please, for everyone's sake, don't be a bitch."

I stared at Klaus with disbelief. "Really? You threaten my family, kill my aunt, and my sister, and you expect me not to be a bitch? Klaus, you were the reason Damon got bitten, and you bargained my freedom for his life. I'm not going to be a bitch to Stefan, but to you? I'll give you hell."

I stomped past him before he could say anything to me. I didn't care if Klaus had something else to say to me. I was done talking to him. Stefan had chosen the bed nearest the window on the other side of the room, so I jumped on the bed close to the door. I closed my eyes and just accepted that I was probably going have to sleep with Klaus. Sleeping in the same bed with Stefan would not only be awkward (since we were past lovers), but I had a feeling that Klaus wouldn't be full of joy at the idea.

"You said you had clothes…?" Stefan asked Klaus when he joined us in the room. I looked over to Stefan and I just barely caught him looking at me. _Finally, he shows an interest. I thought he was just going to ignore me for the rest of the trip. I'm relieved that he'll maybe talk to me…or at least look at me._

"Yes," Klaus confirmed, "I'll get them for you."

I hopped off the bed to get the clothes from Klaus. He led us both to a small closet in the corner of the room, next to the bathroom, which was across from Stefan's bed. I waited for Klaus to hand me clothing, but after he gave Stefan something to wear, he picked out something for himself, and closed the suitcase. Klaus didn't even look at me as he walked away to the bed I had claimed.

I was confused. As I remembered, Klaus offered to give both clothes until we went to buy more. "Um… Do I just pick out something myself? Or are you going to get it for me? I like to take a shower at night, and that would mean I need something to wear for tonight. Clothes… That you offered."

"Nope, you're not getting any," Klaus simply replied. "Actions have their consequences."

I scoffed with wide eyes. "You can't be serious?" Klaus didn't reply to my question. I crossed my arms and jutted out my hip like a girl about to throw a fit. "You're mad at me because I don't want to be nice to you? After you killed my sister, I might add."

"Courtney, you can't do anything about your sister. Might as well get over it since we'll be together for a while."

"Asshole," I said, but Klaus didn't seem affected at all by that. "Fine, I don't need your fucking clothes. I can figure out a way myself."

Klaus still didn't say anything. He and Stefan both pulled off their shirts and pants, getting ready to sleep in their boxers. Unlike them, I actually liked to sleep in something. Have pajamas and not just strip and sleep in my underwear. But if that's how Klaus wanted to play, then I'd play the game, and I'd win. I decided that sleeping in the same bed as Stefan wouldn't be so bad. I definitely wasn't going to sleep in the clothes I was already wearing, so underwear it would be.

When I finally snapped out of my thoughts, I found that both Stefan and Klaus were in their beds. I smiled in Klaus's direction before peeling off my shirt slowly. I wanted Klaus to see what he couldn't have since he was going to be a bitch about the whole situation. After I got the shirt off, I found that both Stefan and Klaus were staring at me. This made my smile grow. Slowly, I unzipped my pants (or Elijah's pants in this case), and let them drop to the floor. I was happy that I decided to wear my red bra and underwear for a funeral. (I knew that most people wore black to funerals, but I wanted to be different. John _and _Jenna would want me to be different…be me. Especially for their funerals.)

Instead of joining Klaus over at his bed, I slowly made my way over to Stefan, who looked like he was nervous. I bent down to pull back the covers, making sure that Klaus had a nice view of my ass, only covered by red, lace panties. (Not a thong. Thongs are shit.) Stefan, nor Klaus, said anything as I got into the bed. I didn't scoot next to Stefan to make Klaus jealous. In fact, I tried to stay far away from Stefan as possible. I wanted no awkward relationships when I was dying and on a trip with my two ex-boyfriends (if you could count Stefan as an ex).

"Goodnight," I said, before turning off the lamp on our side. Klaus's lamp was still on, but it dimly lit the whole room. After that, no one said anything, and eventually, Klaus turned off his lamp to sleep. And the whole time, the smirk did not leave my face.

* * *

My eyes opened to a room that wasn't the hotel room I fell asleep in. I had a feeling that I was in a dream again. And just like I hoped, I flipped over to see Ryan sleeping peacefully. A smile bloomed on my face as I watched his chest go up and down. _I love you. I miss you, _I thought to myself. Watching him sleep was heartbreaking for me because I knew that he wasn't going to come back to me. Only in my dreams would I get to see him. That wasn't enough for me. I would gladly leave Klaus and Stefan behind to go with Ryan. He was my first true love and I'd do anything to get him back. I couldn't help but feel like I wouldn't be in the situation I was if Ryan didn't die. Maybe Ryan could have come up with a plan to help Elena and I would have never dated Klaus or Stefan. Maybe everything would have been okay if he didn't have go get himself killed.

I stared at him for a while until I heard something outside the door. I realized this wasn't the same house as I was in before when I met the family. _We must still be on the trip to Mystic Falls. _Careful not to wake up Ryan, I got up from the bed and opened the door. There was cussing, and a few more things falling to the floor. I followed the noise downstairs, and found a little girl in the kitchen. It took me a few seconds to realize it was Shanley in the kitchen. She was standing on the counter with her little feet, looking for something in the cabinets. Something fell again from the cabinet and she cussed again in her little voice. I eyes widened at her choice of words since she was only six years old.

"Shan, darling, what are you doing?" Shanley jumped so high at my question, I thought that she was going to fly to heaven. I ran forward to catch her just in case she fell from the counter, but she was smart enough to hold on to the cabinet door for balance. _I guess it wasn't my smartest plan to scare a six year old girl standing on a counter. But I've had worse._

"Mommy, you scared me," she said to me, holding her heart. I smiled at her gesture, looking at her tiny hand covering her chest. "My heart almost stopped. Damn."

My mind returned to the cuss words. "Where did you learn those words?"

"What words?" she asked back innocently. Shanley put her hands out for me to catch her. I caught her swiftly, but decided that I wanted to keep her in my arms instead of putting her to the ground. Plus, I didn't want her to trip over all the things she knocked down. She was making so much noise, I was surprised that Ryan or Nadia didn't wake up.

"Those cuss words." At these words, Shanley looked guilty. "Shanley, tell me the truth."

But instead of explaining herself, she said something else. "Naddie went out to a party when you and Daddy fell asleep. She told me not to tell, but she hasn't come back yet."

I creased my brows at this news. I knew that Nadia would be some trouble and she was a free girl like I was, but I didn't expect her to just go a party without saying anything. Even Elena asked before she defied rules. I would have to deal with her later, but I was talking to Shanley. She was cussing and that was not okay for her to say those words. I wouldn't want her to get in trouble at school for saying something to somebody and the teacher would hear it. I could already see how it would go.

(_Shanley would get home looking sad. She'd put down her bag and then she'd run to me crying. I'd drop everything because she was my child and she was crying. "What happened?" I'd ask her after she cried in my arms a few minutes. After a few more seconds of sobs, she'd pull back from the hug and look at me with big remorseful eyes._

_"__Mommy, I—"_

_She'd get cut off because the phone would ring and I'd have to answer it. I put her up on the counter where I'm not cooking and then answer the phone. The whole time, I'd look at Shanley crying on the counter._

_"__Hello?"_

_"__Yes, Ms. Dennings?" a woman would say on the other line._

_"__This is her," I'd say back. "What is the problem?"_

_"__Well, there was an incident," the woman would inform me. "Shanley was in it. Another student took something of hers, and she cussed at him. She said, and I quote, 'Give back my motherfucking toy, you little shit.'" My eyes would widen at this news and I'd give Shanley a disapproving look. The woman would continue talking, but I wouldn't be listening because I would be too busy giving Shanley the look of shame._

_"__Thank you, I'll take care of it," I'd say, cutting the woman off. Then I'd hang up and turn to Shanley._

_"__Mommy, I'm sorry," she'd apologize, but I'd just shake my head._

_"__What the fuck, Shan?")_

I shivered at the thought. I'd be a bad mom if I did that. I turned my attention back to my daughter in my arms. She was staring at me with wide eyes, probably wondering what I was thinking about. I had to start thinking of a punishment for Nadia, but I was also kind of worried. She was gone, she hadn't come back, and we were in the town of Mystic Falls. Shit could go down, and we wouldn't even know it.

"Shanley, thank you for telling me that. But we're focusing on you. Where did you learn those words?"

Shanley looked down at her hands in shame. "Well, I was talking with Sissy. She was talking about this guy she liked, and she was saying words. After we were done talking, she told me not to say those words again. I thought that I was lonely here, so I said them. But I'm sorry, Mommy. I'm not supposed to say those words. Never."

I couldn't help but smile at how cute she was. She was still looking down at her hands with a pout on her lips. Shan was just adorable in so many ways, I couldn't even be mad at her. "Just don't say them again. At least not until you're a teenager," I scolded, in my best parental voice. Shanley nodded. "And when do you turn a teenager?"

"12," she answered after a few minutes of thinking. I shook my head. "13?"

"Yes. Wait until you're 13 to start cussing like Sissy," I said to her, and she nodded. "Now, what were you doing?"

"Making breakfast for you and Daddy."

"Let's get going then." Shanley smiled. "But first, we need to clean up this mess."

* * *

By the time Shanley and I finished making grits and eggs with bacon and sausage, it was about 8:00am. Just as we were putting the plates on the table, the door started to open. In slipped Nadia with messy hair, her purse and heels in hand, looking like she went to a club last night. I sighed with relief when I saw her. _Thank God. I thought I was going to have to go kick some ass. Get my daughter back from a few…vampires. Seriously, I'm still not sure if vampires are in this town._

"Just in time for breakfast," I called out, catching Nadia's attention. Her head snapped over in my direction and she had an expression that resembled a deer staring at headlights. "Where did you go last night?"

"I thought you would sleep in this morning," she said, sounding like she wanted to reason. "I didn't think that I'd come back this late. I thought I could go out, come back in, and then you'd never know."

"Shanley, darling, cover your ears," I requested, and she did exactly as told. Then I turned back to Nadia. "Why do you have sex hair?"

"Mom!"

"I'm not kidding right now. I want to know why you look like you should be standing on a street corner. I want to why it looks like you actually got picked up from the street corner. And I want to know why it looks like you got drunk. Do you have a hangover?" I took a few steps closer to her. "Does it hurt when I yell like this?" I yelled, making her wince. _Yup, hangover. _"Huh? Does it hurt when I scream like this?"

Nadia covered her ears. "Please, Mom," she said softly, "stop yelling like that. I'm not really in the mood. But I don't have a hangover." _Lie. _"I didn't get drunk last night." _Lie. _"And I wasn't standing on a street corner." _Lie. _"I just went a friendly little party." _Looking like a first class whore? Where did she get that dress anyway?_

"Honey, I know you're lying," I responded as I crossed my arms. "Your father and I used to get drunk all the time. I know a hangover when I see one. And I know sex hair when I see it. Please, I had it all the time. My parents would catch me."

"Mom, too much information."

"Nadia, not enough information. Stop lying to me! And you taught your little sister cuss words? Are you kidding me right now?"

"What's all the yelling about?"

I turned around to see Ryan in tight white briefs that weren't exactly something to show the children. I looked like he just woke up (he probably just did) with messy hair, half closed eyes, and his mouth was ajar. Even looking like a total freak, he still managed to make it cute. I just loved him so much.

"Dad, please…" Nadia covered her eyes with her nose scrunched up in disgust. I couldn't blame her really. I wouldn't really want to see my dad's junk ever. I was glad I never did; it must have been scarring for her…and Shanley.

I ran over to the small child who still had her hands over her ears, so she couldn't cover her eyes. I could tell that she was both scared and scarred. I picked her up and turned her head away from Ryan in only his boxers.

Ryan looked down at what he was wearing, and then said, "Sorry, darling. But this is where you came from." Ryan started patting his junk and I laughed. I heard Nadia gag behind me. "Now, what are you doing looking like a whore?"

"That's what I said," I commented. "Darling, go to your room," I told Shanley before putting her down. Her eyes flicked from Ryan, to me, to Nadia and then said, "Shit's about to go down." Before I could scold her, she ran from the kitchen, up the stairs and into her room. Ryan looked at me with a confused expression and I just shrugged. "Your daughter taught your youngest daughter those words. Then she went out to a party looking like that."

Ryan's expression turned very angry. "Is this true, Nadia?" I looked over to Nadia to see a scared and nervous look on her face. _You better be nervous. You are getting it now._ "Did you go out to a party?"

"Not to mention, she's got a hangover and she has sex hair."

"She does have sex hair," Ryan agreed, and Nadia shook her head.

"Okay, I admit, I did get a little drunk," Nadia finally confessed. "And I met this guy. He was really cool, and he took me to his house. We had a party of our own over there, and I just happened to fall asleep."

"Did you lose your virginity to him?" Ryan demanded.

"No, Dad, I didn't," Nadia replied. I had a feeling she was telling the truth. Her eyes weren't lying to us, so I was hoping her mouth wasn't either. Even if she didn't lose her virginity, Ryan was going to give her hell. I could tell that he was just that kind of father that liked to have order in his house. Or rental house. And I was going to let him.

"Oh, really?"

"Really, Dad. I didn't lose my virginity to him."

"C'mon, Ryan. Do you really think our sixteen year old daughter could lose her virginity?" I asked, joking. I didn't expect Nadia to get so angry at it. Nadia was beautiful; just absolutely gorgeous. But she didn't know anyone in this town. So I assumed that the guy would be one who would like to take it slow, because that's how it was when I was a teen. (Really, guys wanted some, they did, but they'd like to know the girl for at least a week. Well, the exception of Damon.)

"I actually lost my V-card way before him," Nadia added. Ryan's eyes gained a wildly angry look while mine widened. I guess my little girl was getting around. "Yes, I did have sex with him. It was amazing. We didn't even use protection. You might want to get use to the idea of having a grandchild."

I didn't mind that she had sex for some reason, but I was surprised at her tone. Did she really think that she could talk to us that way when she was the one who was in trouble? From what I saw, we were pretty good parents. We let her do things my parents wouldn't even consider. And she decided when she's in trouble she'd act like we were trying to send her to prison. I wasn't one to lose my shit, but Ryan was. When you pushed him far enough, he'd lose it on you. Usually in arguments, he would keep calm and just talk it out, but I got the feeling as a father, he wasn't one to mess with.

"Nadia," Ryan breathed with a warning tone lacing his voice. But she didn't listen. Nadia kept talking with the same tone she had before.

"Dad, I'm just trying to live my life. I want to go out and be a teen. I want to go to parties and I want to get drunk. I want to have a one night stand and I want to meet new friends. You guys are holding me back from that. Mom always talks about how crazy her life was when she was a kid, and I want that. I want to be like Mom. She had a very interesting life."

"First of all, my parents died," I butt in, making everyone look at me. "I was acting out. Your parents are alive, they let you do whatever the fuck you want, and this is how you repay us? Trying to be like me? I got pregnant in high school. You don't want that." I didn't really know what it felt like, but I had to try to convince Nadia that my life wasn't all that great. I mean, I hadn't actually lived it since it was my dream life, and it possibly could have been awesome, but Nadia didn't need to know what. "My sister was getting all the attention and I was in the corner. You have a perfect life, Nadia. Living parents, good friends, and a house. Don't say that you don't have a good life. If there's something wrong with it, then tell us. I just don't want you to go sleeping around and possibly get pregnant or STDs because then we'll be the ones who have to deal with it. There is so much time for drinking, parties and sex after you turn 21. Nadia, don't fuck up your teen years. It's not fun."

Nadia looked a bit affected by my little speech, but then she rolled her eyes. "So now you want to be good mother and tell me not to do crazy shit and be like you? Wow…" She scoffed at me. I scoffed at her.

I started to talk from experience. Since one of my mother paid more attention to my sister, one of them didn't want to talk to me my whole life, and the other was a selfish bitch, I had a shitload of knowledge when it came to bad mothers. "Nadia, I'm a bad mother? No, I'm not. I'll never be bad mother. I don't ignore you. I don't leave you. I'm not so selfish that my love for you is tossed out the window. My mother didn't like to do things with me. She just loved Elena so fucking much. And here I am actually giving a shit that you're out at a party. When I went to parties, all I would get was a little slap on the hand, and then I'd be ignored again. I'd have to catch a ride home; they wouldn't pick me up. When Elena went out to a party, the whole world stopped. The last time she went to a party without my parents' permission, they had to go pick her up, and get killed. They never died for me. They died for her! And now here I am giving a shit and willing to die for you. I never got that from my mother. We didn't go shopping unless Elena was with us. We never cooked breakfast together unless Elena was cooking with us. I'm not a fucking bad mother. I will never be fucking bad mother."

Nadia was silent. When she started talking, I felt bad for yelling at her like that. "Mom, I never knew grandma and grandpa went out like that. I didn't know."

"I know you didn't. But you cannot call me a bad mother. I am not a bad mother."

"You're not," Nadia agreed. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." A few tears fell down her face, but I didn't make any move to comfort her. I wanted to cry myself. It's not like my mother hated me or anything, but most of our activities together had to involve Elena too. And sorry if I was overreacting, but I got fucking annoyed with it at one point. That was the point when I started to get rebellious and go out with Ryan. My parents hated that I was dating someone older than me, and I loved that I was finally getting some attention from them. Even if it wasn't exactly the kind of attention I wanted, it was something. I helped Nadia talk to the guy she had a crush on who was an older guy. I paid attention to my children. I would never be anything like my mom or Isobel or Katherine. I was going to re-vamp the definition of being a good mother. I was going to break some records with my awesomeness.

Instead of saying anything to her, I just let Ryan say something. "Nadia, phone, laptop, iPod, tablet. Anything that lets you communicate to anyone who is outside this house. You are grounded for the rest of the trip and you are not going out to any other parties. And you will never talk to your mother like that ever again. She is an amazing mother to you. Show some appreciation. Go to your room and get those things now. And give me that dress so I can burn it." Ryan was calm during the whole things, but I could still tell he was fuming on the inside.

Nadia looked like she wanted to protest, but she decided against it. Without another word, she walked up the stairs to the room she was using. When I heard the door close, I let out a big sigh and tried to blink back the tears.

I felt someone's hand under my chin, pulling up my head. I looked up into Ryan's sparkling brown eyes and smile. "And now the breakfast is cold."

"You are not a bad mother," he said to me. "You know that? Nadia was just acting up for a moment, and a few words slipped out of her mouth. If she does mean it, then she really is not grateful."

"No, I know. I'm a good mother. It just made me think of my mother," I replied.

Ryan nodded. "Katherine. And Isobel. And Miranda."

I was confused. "You know?"

"Of course I know. I'm glad those bitches are gone. I know you really loved them all, but they treated you like shit," Ryan said. I was still confused. I didn't mind that he called them bitches; let's face it, they were. "I just hope that she didn't run into any vampires. That would spell serious trouble. We need to hurry up with this visit. This town is still crawling with vampires."

"Yeah," I agreed, playing along. _Holy motherfucking shit. Ryan knows about vampires. So that means he probably knows about werewolves, witches, and Klaus. And my sister. I guess Elena came clean to me and I told Ryan._

"Anyway, you said something about breakfast?"

"Yeah, it's on the stove." Ryan kissed me on my forehead before walking over to the stove to get some food. I was still leaning on the counter for support. Everything that just happened was still running through my mind. _Youngest cussing. Oldest sleeping around and getting drunk. Mothers suck. Being called a sucky mother. Ryan knowing about the supernatural shit that goes down in this town. And of course, since my life sucks so much, it's all fake. None of it is real. I'm only in a dream._

Almost like my sub-conscious wanted to fuck me over a bit more, Ryan said something to me that crushed my dream…literally.

"Courtney, wake up."

My eyes snapped open _again _to see Stefan's face hovering over mine. "Finally, you woke up. I've been saying that a lot. Get up, we're going shopping."

I sat up in the bed and saw that Klaus was all ready and good to go, and so was Stefan. They wanted to see me half naked again instead of us all dressing at the same time. They were clever men. And I was a sexy woman. (It was times like this when I appreciated how much I had them wrapped around my finger at one point.)

"And find a werewolf. Get up because we have no time to lose."

* * *

**Hello! We're back with The Story of Us! So I guess I'm going to put in more dreams with Ryan, if you want. I don't know, I just kind of miss him. Anyway, I made it seem like Miranda was the devil, it's just that she didn't pay as much attention to Courtney as she did Elena. It's not like Miranda didn't love Courtney. So I'll try to do a weekly update. I still don't know what I'm going to do with the Haley/Klaus situation, but I'll try to figure it out. And I'm still trying to decide if the Courtney/Stefan relationship should be announced. If you want to help me out, leave a comment? Thanks.**

**katherineismikaelson**


	2. Chapter 2

_Two_

**I decided that I was going to dedicate a few chapters just to the time they have together, Stefan, Klaus and Courtney, before I actually continue back on the whole thing in the actual episode The Birthday of the third season. So I think the first two chapters will be like that and then I'll start writing The Birthday. Enjoy!**

* * *

I stared at many clothes in the store, but none of them really made me want to buy them. Klaus and Stefan had absolutely no problem picking out clothes and trying them on. I guess I really was a girl at heart: taking forever to choose clothes, and being picky about it. I found a few things that I liked, but since Klaus liked the soft, dorky side of me, I guessed that I wasn't going to be allowed to wear what I wanted. So I just looked for a few shirts and jeans. Dresses were just not going to happen because of the two men on the trip with me. I'd rather not trip and show my underwear.

Klaus eventually came over to me. "Darling, why don't you have anything in your hands? You haven't found anything yet?"

"Sorry, Klaus. Not all of us have basic fashion choices," I replied snarkily, soon after trying to walk away from him. He grabbed my arm and stopped me from walking anywhere else. Then he leaned down to the side of my head, letting his lips hover over my ear.

"I could just leave you to find a way to get your own money and get to the store on your own time," he whispered in a low, scary voice. His tone honestly sent shivers down my spine. "Be grateful that I've even taken you here after the little stunt you pulled last night."

I decided that letting my sarcastic mouth get me in trouble, I'd just keep quiet and look for something to wear. Klaus let my arm go after he finished what he had to say, and I spent no time lingering around him. I soon found a few clothes that I fancied and tried them on. I met Stefan and Klaus at the front of the store, and we checked out. Stefan got shirts, pants and shoes. We were taking another stop to Victoria's Secret because Klaus wanted me to have 'top notch' underwear, acting like he would be seeing it. That bitch was cray.

When we walked in, the women were staring at me like they were jealous or like I was whore. I knew that they were surprised to see that I had two very attractive men by my side. While they were lonely women pretending to look good for the boyfriend they didn't have. I was over there looking badass with Stefan and Klaus.

I saw some granny panties, grabbed them and held them up for Stefan. "Wouldn't this look good for you? You know, you being dickless and all," I joked, making him smile.

"Ah, not for me. But wouldn't that be more of your style?" he retorted, looking like he was thinking. I laughed before throwing the panties at his face. I was glad that we could start talking again, and I could finally get a smile out of him. I was beginning to think that Klaus switched him out of a robot.

I looked around a little more for something. I saw a pair of pink sweats, and I turned to Klaus. (Stefan wandered off somewhere else, probably to flirt with some girl. There was a sense of jealousy when I thought of the idea, but there was also playfulness in my mind too. I guess there was still a part of me that thought of him as a friend.) "Klaus, wouldn't I look good in these sweats?"

He decided to play along with the whole act, putting his hand on his chin. He pretended to think by creasing his eyebrows. "If my calculations are correct, you'd look just fine in these." I smiled at him, and saw the goofy guy I did at the fair. "But I think you would look much sexier in that over there." He pointed to a sexy lingerie pair of bra and underwear. The bra had a silk cover-up connected to it and the panties had suspenders that connect a lace stocking up the leg. It did look like it was something that would look sexy (especially on me), but alas it just wasn't my style.

"I bet it would," I agreed, "But you'll never find out." Klaus laughed at this and continued to look around for me. I found a few things (no thongs included) that Stefan and Klaus agreed with and eventually we checked out. The lady at the front desk was trying to flirt with Klaus the whole time. It was funny to watch him reject her again and again as she tried to make a move on him.

The women still didn't take their eyes off of Klaus or Stefan, making me smile. _Sorry ladies, their mine. Yup, this girl got both of them. Sorry lonely cat women, but you're just no match for Courtney Gilbert. Better luck next time, well, that is if a man will even look in your direction._

Then we went to another store for Stefan called _Men's Macy's _so he could get some underwear. It was funny because he bought numerous pairs of white boxer briefs, like the ones Ryan had on. It wasn't uncommon for a guy to get that, but Stefan getting it just made me smile for some reason. Stefan purchasing them made me think of my dream Ryan in his 'pajamas.' After we got back in the car (me in the back), I sighed. Sure, every girl liked shopping because it's shopping, but I had a limit. I wanted to go back to the hotel so I could change out of the dress Klaus forced me to get back in.

"Can we go back now?" I whined. Klaus rolled his eyes, but nodded as he turned on the car. "Thank you, lord. I call the shower first bitches. I need it more than you do."

"I never got that," Klaus said vaguely.

"What?"

"Why girls call other people 'bitches'? What is the point in that?"

I shrugged. I never really knew why I called people 'bitch' when I wanted something before them or something they couldn't have. It was just my way of saying I was better than them. And as bad as that sounds, I only said it jokingly and to people who deserved it. So I never said it to Bonnie or Elena. Stefan hurt me by going back to Elena and Klaus killed Elena. They deserved it.

"I guess it's just my way of saying you're dogs," I replied after a few seconds. This made Klaus chuckle, but he didn't say anything else on the way back to the hotel. In six minutes tops, we were at the hotel. I hopped out the car and ran (fast walked) to the entrance and almost flew to the elevator. I left Klaus and Stefan to carry the bags. I didn't even bother waiting for them in the elevator. I just hit the third floor button and waited at the door for them. I waited for a few minutes when I saw the elevator doors open to Klaus and Stefan carry many bags in their hands. "C'mon. I feel dirty and I really need a shower."

"Dirty, huh?" Klaus repeated suggestively, and I groaned. I expected Damon to say something like that, not Klaus. He was more of the non-perverted flirter where Damon was just straightforward about the thing. He'd meet a girl he'd like, then he'd just say 'Let's have sex.' Bam, he'd get some. While Klaus would take his time flirting with the girl and then she'd sleep with him. Both ways effective, but only one of the ways I approved of. (I'll give you a hint: I'm a straightforward kind of girl.)

Rolling my eyes, I moved so Klaus could swipe the key card. "Klaus, just open the door for me," I demanded. He smirked at me and winked before opening the door (but not without shoving a few bags in Stefan's face). I ran in, waited impatiently as they put the bags down, then I searched for the bags that were mine. When I found the clothes I wanted to put on, along with the Victoria's Secret underwear, I locked myself in the bathroom to take a shower. Klaus told me that they were going to get more of the bags in the car. I replied that they'd be back since I was taking a fifteen minute shower.

When I turned on the water, I almost jumped with joy. _This shower is long overdue. _So I just stood there in the shower, first washing my body, but then just standing under the water, thinking. My mind was torn between trying to run away and deciding if I should stay with them. I didn't want to leave Stefan alone with a psychopath, but then again, Stefan could take care of himself. And if Klaus found me gone one day, what would he do? I didn't want him to go back to Mystic Falls and hurt Damon or anyone, so that was a setback. But if I stayed, there was a chance of losing my sanity, falling for one of them again or hurting someone. Klaus was the kind of person who didn't stop until he got what he wanted. If he had to torture five year olds for information, I thought he would. A little harsh, but for something that he wanted, Klaus would do it (maybe).

When I finally decided that leaving was not a good choice, I turned off the water and wrapped a towel around my body. I walked over to the only mirror in the bathroom and wiped off the condensation to reveal my face. It was makeup less, but then again, I usually went without makeup anyway. Elena liked to wear her makeup while I decided to stay almost all natural, with the exception of lipstick or mascara, but if I looked beautiful without it, so did she. I wasn't one of those girls who doubted how beautiful they looked, but I was a bit insecure when it came to gorgeous women. Take the women who ran out of Damon's room in her underwear: she was beautiful. Just beautiful. Next to her, I'd feel like a banana next to a flower. But I knew I was pretty regardless of anything anyone said. A smile bloomed on my face at my reflection.

I was ready to get my clothes on when I realized I didn't have any deodorant. Making sure the towel was firmly wrapped around my body, I opened the bathroom door to find Stefan watching TV and Klaus on his laptop. They both looked up at me simultaneously, both eyes widening at my appearance. I couldn't say that I didn't like the effect I had on both of them, but I wasn't one of those girls who fed off of their attention to my body.

"Can someone get me the deodorant?" I asked sweetly. Klaus was the first to react because he wasn't in a daze like Stefan was. He stared at me with lust, love, and admiration. I wanted him to know I felt the same, but I couldn't say anything while Klaus was listening. So I just pretended I didn't notice Stefan staring at me.

Klaus handed me the deodorant a few seconds later of my question. He didn't have wide eyes like a child having their first crush; he looked at me with a smirk and a confident expression. He thought that I did this just for him. He was just too full of himself.

"Thank you." Nothing else was said as I took the deodorant and walked back into the bathroom. I was sexy and so were they. We were all perfect for each other. Too bad one of them was too shy and the other was too confident, not to mention an asshole. Quickly, I dressed into a baggy, black and white striped T-shirt with ripped, blue jeans. I put my hair in a bun since it was still wet and I was too lazy to use the blow dryer. I collected my things, put them in the bag and walked out the bathroom again. This time, Stefan didn't bother looking at me, and neither did Klaus.

I put the things in the corner before joining Klaus on his bed. "What are you working on?" I asked quietly.

"I'm looking for a werewolf," Klaus answered, not looking up from his laptop screen. "They are very hard to come by." I guess I didn't know what he meant since all the werewolves I knew just came to Mystic Falls. I never had to search for a werewolf like Klaus was doing. I didn't realize that they were rare.

"Find one and then you'll find the pack," I stated simply.

"That's what I was thinking," he replied. Silence fell over us for a few minutes and I didn't know what to do. Stefan was watching some movie that really didn't interest me and Klaus was searching for a werewolf for whatever reason. I had absolutely nothing to do but sulk.

"Klaus, I need a phone," I announced. Klaus laughed. "Seriously, you don't have to get me a plan or anything, but I need something to play music on and play games."

"Then listen to the radio and buy Scrabble," was his clever reply.

"If you want to find a werewolf, watch Twilight," I retorted. Klaus still didn't look at me. I didn't think he even heard what I said. Asking for an iPhone was obviously a lost cause, so all I could do was just sit around. I mean, I could have thought something up and started writing something of a song, but then Klaus would see that my song was about how much I hated his guts or how much I wanted to kiss Stefan again. Mind you, Klaus was still in my heart, but so was Stefan. I couldn't be in love with two people, so I had to figure out with one was more for me. In the meantime, I could just love them. It made sense to me at the time.

I needed to get away from them. I wanted to have a walk by myself and just be by myself. I knew that it would be a long shot with Klaus, but I still really needed the alone time. If he rejected the idea of just having a phone to play games on, I really doubted that he would let me go for a walk. But I was in a world where vampires existed and I was created by a witch, so I guessed anything could happen.

"Klaus, hear me out," I requested, sitting back on the bed. He didn't bother looking at me, so I took my hand under his chin, and guided his gaze towards my face. (For some reason, I felt a rush of electricity when I touched him, and there was even more sparks when he looked at me.) I could tell that he was annoyed with me, but I sensed that he was happy that I was touching him. "Klaus, can I go for a walk?"

He laughed. "You're crazy."

"Compel me to come right back," I tried to reason. I forgot to get some vervain from the Salvatore house, so I was totally open to compulsion. If Klaus wanted me to do something, I would have to do it. Not only because he would compel me, but I also didn't want anything to happen to my friends back home or even Stefan.

"Courtney, I realize that you might be on vervain," Klaus replied. I pulled him up from the bed.

"Then compel me to do something," I bargained. "That'll prove to you that I can be compelled." I assumed that we had gained the attention of Stefan watching TV. Maybe I'd invite him to take a walk with me. But I still wanted to be alone, and Klaus approving of that would be a long shot.

"Courtney…"

"Klaus, please," I begged. _I can't believe he's got me pleading now. This fucking bitch. _"I really need some alone time. If I can't have something I can play music on, then I at least want to be alone to think for myself. And I kind of want to explore where I am. Even if I was on vervain, why would I leave just so you could hurt me in some way? Like going back after Damon? I'd rather that not happen. Just compel me to do something and you'll see."

He looked like he was trying to decide. I waited patiently for him to say something, but after a while, I started to get edgy. Eventually, I looked over to Stefan who was staring at me. We both didn't look away from each other. He had a curious look on his face while I just stared back with a blank expression. "Courtney, look at me," Klaus instructed, breaking my stare with Stefan. I did as told. "If you aren't on vervain, I want you to kiss me."

My heart almost stopped. I didn't realize when I said that he could compel me to do something that it could be something romantic. And as much as I wanted to kiss him, I knew that I would hurt myself some way. I could get attached, then I'd have to leave him because Damon would eventually find me and I'd have to move on him all over again. I was just barely successful the first time. But I really had no choice. It was compulsion.

Automatically, my hands moved up to hold his face. "Klaus, I didn't mean something like this," I argued softly. He shook his head at me. I suddenly felt his hands on my waist, pulling me closer.

"I need to see if you're on vervain or not," he simply replied. I wanted to argue, I wanted to have a whole debate about the whole thing, but whether I liked it or not, I'd have to kiss Klaus. It was compulsion and I had no vervain.

I didn't say anything else. I just kissed him. If I said the kiss was special and igniting, I'd be lying. But I could say that the kiss was something I missed. I missed feeling his against mine rubbing together in a romantic gesture. I couldn't say I didn't miss the way his hands naturally found their way up and down my waist, stroking my sides. It was something that made my blood rush and breath quicken. I loved him, truly, but he did so many things to hurt me. I had to remember. When I did, I pulled away from him quickly.

We both were breathing faster than we were. Before I knew what was happening, I felt our foreheads touching, our noses a few inches away from each other. When I finally got the strength to pull away from his face, I said, "I gave you your kiss. It shows that I'm not on vervain, right? You know that if I was on vervain that I wouldn't kiss you, right?" Klaus looked hurt at this sentence. (And at his pain, I felt hurt, and yet I continued.) "Now can I go on that walk?"

Klaus pushed me away softly, removing his hands from my waist. Instantly, I missed the way his palms warmed up my hips. He took a deep breath. "Yes, Courtney, you can go on the walk. Once you're done, you will come straight back," he compelled, and it was in my brain. _After I finish my walk, I come right back to Klaus. _"And you will not try to make any contact with anyone in Mystic Falls.

I smiled. "Thank you, Klaus."

I fled to one of the bags that contained black Converse All-Stars that I was just too excited to wear. (I had an obsession with sneakers. Don't ask.) After putting them on, I turned back to Klaus who was looking at me. I realized my words had made a toll on Klaus, but it wasn't anything he didn't deserve, right? He didn't deserve my kiss or affection. No, he didn't. But I still had feelings, no matter the morals.

I walked back over to him and put my hands on his upper arms. "Klaus, I'm asking you right now not to use your compulsion on me for anything romantic. Next time, if I kiss you, I want it to be willingly."

With that, I opened the door to the hotel room and I walked to the elevator. _Hopefully I can find out where I am. Klaus still hasn't said one word about where we are. We couldn't have gotten that far since I only slept for a while._

* * *

I looked over at the guy who kept looking at me. He was cute with his brown hair, big, pink lips and build physique. He was my kind of guy; the flirty, attractive ones. I smiled at him shyly, putting my hand over my mouth (which was covered by the sleeve of my shirt). I didn't know what I was supposed to do, especially since I was travelling with my two exes. But there was a chance I could use him to my advantage. I needed a coffee, but had no money. He had money and I needed a coffee.

When I finally decided that I'd go on with my plan, I got up and walked over to his table. He was drinking his coffee alone, but the guy was working on something. He didn't look like the kind of business guy, but he did look somewhat professional. All he was wearing was a V-neck with a light jacket and jeans. To me, he looked pretty casual. I just hoped I looked good enough for him to get me something I wanted.

"Hello," I greeted softly. He waved to me. "I'm Courtney."

"Declan," he replied, putting his hand out. I willingly took it and shook his hand. We did it without words, just smiles and eye flirts. When we finished, it felt a little awkward. Sure, certified flirter…in Mystic Falls…where everyone knew everyone. Outside of my small hometown, I was just a little shy.

"So are you going to buy me a coffee or what?"

So that's exactly what Declan did. He bought me a coffee (I got what I wanted) and then we actually started talking. I found out that I liked this guy; he was a teacher, firmly believed in freedom, and he loved to sing. We didn't share our songs, but we did share our favorite bands. I realized with him that I hadn't listened to much music after I found out all the craziness of my life. And I really needed something I could relate to. Declan offered to let me listen to some of his music, and I did. I found out some new bands, new music, and a new friend. It wasn't like I was going to see Declan ever again, but at least I had someone to share my day with.

It wasn't until a familiar face came up to me. "Courtney?"

"Harry?" I asked. I didn't know that he would even be here. I thought he would still be back in… "Pennsylvania."

Harry nodded like he knew what was going on. "Excuse me, can I borrow her for a second?" he asked Declan. At first he looked confused by the whole thing, but then Declan nodded. I sent him a nervous smile before taking my coffee and getting up. Harry's hand found its way around my arm to drag me out of the coffee shop. "Where did you go?" Harry demanded in an angry tone.

He had the right to be angry. I just left him all alone, without telling him where I was going. Just ditched him without any explanation. And honestly, I felt a little bit guilty for the whole thing. He deserved a reason, and I could give it to him. Klaus said nothing about talking to other people who weren't in Mystic Falls.

"Klaus. I went with Klaus. Then shit happened, and now I'm with him again. And there is a way you can help me."

I sat Harry down and told him everything. I told him about my sister, Damon, werewolves, Klaus, myself, and what was happening. I even told him about the compulsion and I needed vervain. "Now I'm asking you to get me some vervain. It's hard to come by, but Damon has some at the Salvatore house. If you tell them that you know Courtney, then he'll probably get suspicious. But if you say something only we would know, then he'll trust you. Say something about us being friends with benefits. No one knows that but you and Damon. And do not tell him where I am. He'll probably try to follow you; throw him off track. Can you do that for me?"

"Sure, Courtney," Harry agreed. "But how am I getting you out of Klaus's sight?"

"I'll have to figure that out myself," I told him. "But I need you to get the vervain. And then meet me back here tomorrow, same time. I'm counting on you, Harry. And I'm sorry for just leaving without saying anything. I really had no choice. I hope that once I get away from Klaus, I can spend some time with you."

Harry smiled at my sentence. Too bad I didn't mean it in the slightest bit. Harry wasn't going to survive to see the day we finally go to the movies. I could either pick to go back to my family in Mystic Falls or be with some vampire after I escaped Klaus. I picked the obvious one. My family would always be more important than some vampire I had a one night stand with. We barely even knew each other. I was even surprised that he was doing this for me after I just ditched him.

He started to get up from his seat, but I stopped him. _Why would he do anything for me? I just left without telling him. I turned him into something that most people would hate. I know I felt so much guilt after I killed that girl Jenna in the apartment that day. I still feel some guilt over that. I feel the pain I felt when I admitted to everyone I was working with Katherine. I feel the guilt even after months or years. I turned him into something that could be considered a monster. Some people have a better time coping with becoming a vampire, but there will always be guilt. How can he be okay with me?_

"Harry, why are you helping me?"

His smile faded for a second. He looked like he was confused himself. "I…I… I don't really know…why…I'm helping you. I guess I just feel like I owe you or something. And you are an amazing person, Courtney. I'd do anything for you."

_What the actual fuck? Is he in love with me? We only just met. I don't have my powers back, so I can't compel him to do anything._

"Harry, I want you to do something else for me. Take off your daylight ring." Harry's expression turned horrified, but he did as I asked. He instantly started burning in the sunlight. I stared in awe at what he was doing. He didn't even bother trying to put the ring back on. He just endured the pain because I asked him to. "Put it back on."

Without hesitation, he shoved the ring back on his finger. I was surprised no one noticed him burning in the window, but then I realized he made no sound as he burned. Like he was trying to spare the attention for me. _Why? Why is he doing this?_

"Why did you do that?" I questioned, feeling a bit suspicious.

After taking a few breaths, he finally answered me. "Because you asked me to."

_This guy has a death wish. If I asked him to try and kill Klaus, would he do it? That would be an actual death wish? Klaus could tear this guy apart._

"Just get me the vervain," I ordered rudely before getting up and walking away. I didn't bother looking behind me to see if Harry was just as confused as I was. I just kept walking to the hotel that was only down the street from where I was with Harry. I knocked on the hotel door and waited for Klaus to open it. When he did, I stated, "Look. I'm back."

* * *

**MYSTIC FALLS, VIRGINIA**

It was only a day since they left. But Damon had been up all night trying to figure out where Klaus would have taken them. Both Stefan and Courtney had given themselves up for his life. Courtney really did find another way. The only problem was that Courtney wasn't there for Damon to thank her. And his brother had just given his life for Damon; he needed to find the both of them and get them away from Klaus.

Elena had arrived back early that morning, complaining that Stefan hadn't texted her back. They decided that if they wanted Stefan and Courtney back, they needed to work together. Elena suggested they enlist the help of someone else, but Damon was stuck on doing it alone. They argued back and forth until there was a knock on the door.

"Who could that be?" Damon questioned, talking more to himself. Elena stayed in the living room, but that didn't give her any listening advantages. Damon opened the door to a guy, who resembled Zac Effron, shaking slightly. "Who are you?"

"I'm here for Courtney," the guy simply stated. Damon suddenly was interested in this guy. "My name is Harry. I need some vervain."

"How can I trust you?"

"Courtney said you wouldn't at first. I know something only you would know. Courtney is your best friend…with occasional benefits."

Damon was convinced. No one else knew that and he knew Courtney wouldn't say anything about it unless it was important. "Where is Courtney?"

"I can't tell you that," Harry denied, making Damon groan. "But I can give her vervain so Klaus can't compel her." _She didn't take some when she had the chance, _Damon thought to himself. _She has her priorities all messed up. _"She said that you would have some…?"

"I do," Damon confirmed. "Stay here and I'll go get it." Damon closed the door on the stranger before walking back into the living room. "Do not open the door. There's a vampire out there that you will not invite in. He wants vervain so he can give it to Courtney."

Elena perked up. "Does he know where they are?"

"He can't tell us," Damon replied. Elena's spirits were broken.

"Why?"

"Because. Now don't open the door." Damon had a feeling that she was going to disobey him, but he needed to get some vervain for Courtney. He left Elena alone in the living room to go downstairs to gather vervain.

When Elena was sure he was all the way downstairs, she quietly walked to the door and opened it. Harry opened his mouth to say something when he saw her, but she quickly put her finger to her lips. He closed his mouth as she closed the door behind her. Elena knew that she was taking a risk walking out with a vampire, but if he knew anything about the location of Courtney and Stefan, she wanted to know. She'd risk it.

"Where is Courtney?" she whispered as quietly as she could manage. Harry looked torn. He felt bad for Elena, especially since her boyfriend and sister were with a psycho vampire that tried to kill her (actually succeeding in killing her). But Courtney specifically asked him not to tell them where she was. Harry felt like he couldn't say anything because Courtney told him not to. He didn't know why he was doing what she asked, but all he knew was it felt right.

"I can't say," he mumbled back. Elena wanted to stomp her foot.

"Please," she begged softly, "she's my sister. He's my boyfriend. I need to get to them."

"I'm sorry, I can't."

Before Elena could say anything else, the door was opened by Damon who was holding a bag of vervain in his hand. "Elena, get back in the house," Damon demanded harshly.

"I'm trying to find them," Elena argued. Damon grabbed her arm and quickly pulled her in the house. "Damon!"

"Elena, I'm not in the mood. I'll get them, okay?" He pushed her farther in the house before turning to Harry. "Here's the vervain. Make sure she gets it." He closed the door right after he handed Harry the bag of vervain. Elena tried to walk past him to get back out the door, but he stopped her.

"Damon, he's getting away! There's still a way to find them," Elena complained.

"He was obviously not going to tell us," Damon snapped at Elena. "So we just follow him to her. God, Elena. You couldn't just stay in the living room. Now he's going to be suspicious when we follow. Just get in the car."

Damon was already listening to Harry drive away, but he had a good feeling that he could catch up. Elena grabbed her jacket from the living room and he opened the door for her. But there was something, or someone blocking the exit. A tall African girl stood at the doorway, hand up like she was about to knock. Damon stared at her with a blank expression while Elena looked confused.

"Are you Damon Salvatore?" she asked.

"Yes. Who are you?"

"I'm Ani," she introduced. "I'm Courtney's friend."

"Oh, goodie. Another one," Damon cheered sarcastically. "What do you want? Come to tell us you need something for Courtney, but you can't tell us where she is?"

"Actually, I was wondering if you knew where she went. I haven't talked to her in a while," Ani asked.

"Nope. Now we need to go. Move."

"Damon," Elena scolded, but all he did was roll his eyes. He tried to take a step forward, but Ani didn't let him walk out. He moved right and she did the same. He went left and she followed his footsteps.

"Where's Courtney?" Ani demanded.

Damon groaned. "I have somewhere to go. Come back later."

"No, I want to know now."

"I have to follow someone. Then once I'm done, I'll tell you where she is."

"I want to know where she is right now. Did you do something, Damon?"

He was fed up. So he snapped her neck. Elena gasped as she watched Ani's lifeless body fall to the ground. Damon wasn't fazed by the dead body in front of him; he stepped right over it like it was gum on the ground. (A very large, human shaped piece of gum.)

"Damon," Elena gasped, wide eyes. "Did you really have to do that? She was only looking for Courtney."

"She got in my way. I needed to get out. Are you coming or what?"

Elena wanted to find Stefan and Courtney. So she stepped over the body, and got in the car with Damon, leaving a dead Ani on their porch.

* * *

**CARLISLE, PENSYLVANNIA**

"Did you get it?" I asked him when he sat down. Harry nodded. "Did they follow you?"

"Damon said he was, but then he stopped. He never caught up after that," Harry told me. I nodded as I put my hand out for the bag. Harry generously handed it to me. I smiled at the plant before taking a bit and sprinkling it in my drink. Harry spoke as I took a sip. "So where are you going next?"

"Klaus found something that could lead him to a werewolf. We're going to New Mexico next."


	3. Chapter 3

**_Hey, guys, so it's been a while. I was just working on my other stories. Anyway, this one is finally starting. Thank you to the ones who are actually reading my sequel. Enjoy!_**

**_Three_**

_Two Weeks Later…_

The worst part of dying is when you have hallucinations. Especially when they're about your dead ex-boyfriend. Especially when you're watching your dead ex-boyfriend die in horrible ways. Especially when you're screaming out your dead ex-boyfriend's name when there are two other guys you've screwed are in the room to wake you up. That just gets really awkward.

I watched as Ryan's body was being pulled apart by various vampires while screaming his name. What I didn't realize was I was asleep in a hotel room with Stefan and Klaus. I felt my body being shaken, but I never really woke up. It wasn't until someone bit me when I actually woke up.

I shot up into a sitting position, making Stefan and Klaus back up a little. I could feel the sweat on my forehead and I was breathing heavily. My throat felt as though it was on fire. My hands were shaking along with the rest of my body. Klaus and Stefan were looking at me very intently with looks of worry in their eyes.

Just as Klaus went to say something, I started coughing. Not the usual 'tickle in my throat' coughing, but the full on 'I'm about to fucking die' coughing. The kind of coughing that drew blood. And it did. When I removed my hand from my mouth, there was blood rolling down my fingers.

Stefan looked even more worried about me. So did Klaus. Hell, I was worried about me. I then remembered that I was dying. It was all catching up to me now. I didn't stop Elena from being sacrificed so now I was dying. I had no other purpose on this earth if it wasn't to stop Elena.

I looked guiltily down at my bloody hands. I never did tell Klaus what was up with me. I was just dying out of the blue. Not because of a disease, not because of cancer, but because I didn't complete my purpose and I wasn't supposed to exist. And Klaus loved me. I knew he loved me. It wasn't fair to just die on him without having an explanation. Then he'd go off the deep end or something like that. I had that much of a hold on him. (It was pretty obvious.)

"Klaus, there's something I need to tell you," I began slowly. He looked not sad, not regretful, but angry. I guess I had this coming when I didn't tell him anything about my life even though we fucked a few times, fell in love and I owed it to him to say something. "I'm dying."

Stefan just looked depressed. He already knew this. We went three weeks without me having any signs after my death, and now all of a sudden I was coughing up blood. I even thought maybe there was a chance I was still going to live, but that wasn't the case. Stefan looked like he was brought up only to be brought down again.

"What the hell do you mean you're dying?" Klaus demanded. He was clutching his fists so tight, I was surprised when his hands didn't fall off. I didn't want to be there anymore. I didn't want to be around Klaus when he found out I was dying because of not killing my sister. There were just some things I wanted to avoid, especially since Klaus was going to go through high lengths to make sure I stayed alive. I realized that I'd do the same thing for him. If I found out he was dying, I was going to do whatever I could to save him. Killing Klaus was out of the question for me, along with letting him die. I was guessing he felt the same for me judging by his reaction.

"I mean, I was supposed to kill Elena so she wouldn't be used in the sacrifice, but I didn't do that. She was used and now you're a hybrid," I explained quietly, "and now I'm going to die."

Klaus just shook his head. He was quiet for the longest time, just shaking his head furiously, but when he did talk, he yelled. And it scared me. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" I jumped at his sudden outburst. I thought I saw Stefan even flinch a little.

"Klaus please, it's alright. I'm—"

"It's not alright," Klaus snapped quickly. "You're dying and you're just now telling me about it. Courtney, what the hell?"

"Wow, Klaus, you really do sound like you're from the 21st century," I joked, but no one laughed. (It was a weak attempt anyway…)

"We are finding a way to save you," he told me, finally lowering his voice. "And then you're going to pay the consequences."

He suddenly turned around, grabbed his coat and headed for the door. "Where are you going?" I called out to him.

"To my witch."

He slammed the door after that.

I wanted to cry. I didn't want to die. Honestly. I wanted to find a way back to Elena and Damon and I wanted to be happy. I wanted everyone to forgive Klaus so he could come back with me, I wanted to figure out if I loved Stefan or Klaus, then I wanted to finish school, maybe adopt, and hopefully not having my vampire (or hybrid) boyfriend not eat our children. Or maybe I could find a way to bring back Ryan… Have my happy ending. And then I could find this Tom Avery character that was in my dreams when Ryan was there.

(No really, every time I had a dream about Ryan, Tom Avery a.k.a Stefan's doppelganger was haunting my dreams too. I had dreams of Ryan even before the kids. Oh, my god, those were the good days. Look at me, talking about something that hadn't even happened to me. Tom Avery was human. He was a paramedic, a very good one, with a girlfriend, a nice girl, with a good personality. He knew nothing of the supernatural world. He only human who knew nothing of anything supernatural. He was only living his life like a normal fucking person. Apparently we went to high school together without me saying anything about a Stefan Salvatore. Hell, there was no one even named Salvatore or Mikaelson in dream Mystic Falls. It was weird to have a normal life. It was actually kind of peaceful. That was why I looked forward to going to sleep so much, but recently, the Ryan dying shit has been killing me. I hated sleep. The only thing I liked about dreaming was seeing his happy face before a knife impaled his chest.

It was funny really. I was in love with three guys: my ex-boyfriend who was my dream husband, my sister's ex-boyfriend who's still in love with her and my psycho hybrid ex-boyfriend. Yeah, my life was just amazing and so eventful. And confusing as fuck.)

Stefan and I were silent together. He didn't say a word and neither did I. I just looked at my hands and wondered if my death would be painful and slow.

Then the idea hit me.

I needed to fake my own death.

I needed the spell Bonnie used when she pretended to be dead. Then I needed to find a way to survive. Then I needed to find a way to bring back Ryan. And then I needed to calm myself so I could have a normal life without all the supernatural. We were going to move to Scotland, start a family and be happy. The whole time my shit life in Mystic Falls would just disappear. They'd think I was dead and no one would go looking for me.

I'd leave Stefan and Damon and Klaus and Elena and Jeremy and Caroline (aw, my best friend) and Bonnie (aw, my other best friend) and Tyler (AWWW…my ex-boyfriend best friend) and my favorite teacher. Sometimes we need to make sacrifices. They'd all get over my death and be happy. God knows it's what they wanted.

Elena would finally have Stefan and Damon all to herself, Klaus would be an invincible, Matt and Caroline would get married, Bons and Jeremy would have a happy life and everyone would be happy without me. It wouldn't matter really because I was going to be happy with Ryan. As much as I loved all my friends and family in Mystic Falls, none of that love compared to how much I loved Ryan. It scared me honestly. He was dead, yet my love for him was still strong.

I officially was going to die. But then I was going to live. I just needed a little thing called the Bennett grimoire. Without that, nothing in my plan would work. I needed to find the spell to fake my death, then I needed to find a way to save myself, and then I needed to find out how to resurrect Ryan. There were a lot of things that I needed to find out, but in the end it would all be worth it.

I was a little reluctant to say goodbye to the Salvatores. Of course Klaus too, and my family and friends, but the Salvatores were my boys. Stefan and Damon were the two guys that I counted on. I didn't want to count on them for everything, but I knew if I called, they'd help me. Damon was my best friend. He was the most amazing person even though almost no one saw the real him. He was dedicated, caring, loyal, and funny as hell. Damon was the kind of guy that a girl would kill to have. All you needed to do was scrub past the asshole exterior and get to the sweet, caring Damon I knew. And Stefan? There were just no words to explain him. Stefan was the one person I was happy to love. The person I was proud to love. If he wanted me to, I'd tell the whole world I loved him. I'd even tell Ryan to his face (if he was alive and he would be soon) that I loved Stefan. He was someone you weren't ashamed of knowing and loving. Stefan was definitely going to heaven, even with his Ripper side.

And Klaus. Klaus was a crazy-ass motherfucker that deserved to go to hell, but I loved the bitch. He made me feel a certain way that was not like anything I ever felt before. With him, I just felt so comfortable and happy. Almost like with Ryan, but there was just something else about Klaus that made me so happy. Maybe because he interested me so much or maybe because he had an understood personality. He was messed up as a child and your father hating you and killing you can do something to a child. And then your mother turning you into a vampire and then imprisoning who she made you (referring to his werewolf side) doesn't exactly make a shiny happy life. Klaus was someone who deserved a second chance from everyone who saw him as a monster. Once you got to know him, he was amazing. And that was why I loved him.

And my older sis Elena. Oh, Elena. Everyone died to save her sorry ass and even after all she put my friends and family through, I still loved her to absolute bits. I thought she was selfish at times and a total dumbass, but she was the girl I grew up with all my life. How the hell could I hate her? She was the person who was there for me when I didn't want anyone to be there. I built up walls and she was one of the only people to actually break down those walls. She was the best sister I could ever ask for. A dumbass sister, but the best nonetheless.

And my friends… Oh, I would miss them so much. Nadia, my daughter, reminded me of a mix between Bonnie and Vicki. She was smart, yet she still liked to get herself in trouble. She reminded me of me. I was like her, except she was a little bit better of a person since she wasn't planning on leaving her family and friends (hopefully) but that was beyond the point. I was going to miss my friends. At least little Shanley could always make me remember my bestie Caroline Forbes. Oh, I'd miss her overbearing, perky, neurotic attitude. And then there was my bestie Tyler Lockwood. His presence would really be missed, especially since I didn't spend a lot of time with him at all when I went back from my time with Katherine. And Matty…and my baby brother! Oh, my god I was leaving so many people behind.

It made me rethink doing what I was planning on doing.

"Courtney? Are you okay? You're making weird expressions."

I suddenly snapped out of my thoughts and looked back at Stefan. He looked a little confused and I realized I was probably making the expressions I would make if I was talking out loud. I smiled nervously.

"Sorry, I was just thinking." I got up from the bed and wen to wash my hands. When I looked at my face in the mirror, I was horrified. I looked like a Bella from Breaking Dawn without all the makeup. I was scared as hell. If I was going to look this way while dying, I needed ten pounds of makeup. There was no way I was dying ugly. I called to him, "Stefan!" He was at the bathroom doorframe in less than a second. (I was a little startled, but I was used to it for the most part.) "We need to go to the store to get me some makeup. There is no way in hell that I'm looking like this."

Stefan laughed. I smiled at his smile. He looked like he was trying to crap the whole time. It was a depressed/constipated face, and yet he still looked sexy as hell making the expression. If Matt or Tyler made that face, I'd tell them they were ugly and then try to copy the face. But with Stefan? I just wanted to kiss him and tell him he was being silly.

"Stefan, it'll be fine," I assured, and the smile dropped right off my face. I sighed. "You'll go back to Elena, be happy and you can comfort her when she cries over my death. But promise at my funeral you'll have Eminem playing, twerking bitches and booze? I don't want my funeral to be dull and sad." Stefan smiled again, but he only chuckled this time. "Seriously though, I know some good bitches to call up. But watch out because those hoes ain't loyal."

"Courtney, you are amazing," Stefan said to me. I was kind of taken back by his statement. The Stefan I knew would joke how Elena would feel uncomfortable with 'bitches twerking' and how Damon would be drinking all the booze, but he was talking about how amazing I was? (Not that I was complaining.) He put his hands on either side of my face. "You can joke about your funeral. No matter how sad and angry I am, you can always find a way to make me smile. I love you, Courtney."

"I love you, too, Stefan." The words slipped out of my mouth before I could think, but when I realized what I said, I didn't regret it. I did love him and if he wanted to hear that every day of every minute, I'd say it. But Ryan was the one who I really wanted to be with.

Stefan leaned down to kiss me. When he did, I kissed back hungrily. You could expect what came next… (Wink, wink.)

After our 'time together,' I had to find some air freshener to get the smell of _pleasure _out of the room so Klaus wouldn't get suspicious. He was still in the dark about my relationship with Stefan. We called up the maid and told her to get to cleaning a little earlier.

Klaus compelled us both not to leave the hotel without him, so we just had to go down to the lobby and be all couple-y. I didn't know why the hell I just slept with Stefan when I was planning on running away with my dead love, but I did. And I was totally happy with myself. Stefan was like a fucking dream. Oh, my god, it felt so good, but let's not get into that.

The maid finally called us back up to our room and we went back, holding hands the whole way. I could tell that Stefan was feeling the same way I was: nervous. What if Klaus did find out that we did the dirty…many times? Then someone would die. And it would possibly be both Stefan and me. And then a few people in the town. Or the state. Or the country. Okay, maybe I was overestimating my hold on Klaus, but the town's population would definitely go down a few hundred.

We sat on the bed together. We both didn't say anything to each other. Stefan was looking out the window while I was frowning to myself. Even after that happy time with Stefan, my heart still wanted to fake my death and go resurrect Ryan. Goddamn, I was a real fucking bitch. I was turning into Katherine. I didn't want to be anything like Katherine.

The worst part about it all was that I was happy to get away from my family and friends. I was too happy thinking about it. I was leaving the people I loved.

And then I realized it wasn't about getting to Ryan.

It was all about leaving those bitches.

**Mystic Falls, Virginia**

"Elena!" Bonnie called panicked. Elena looked at the map one more time before walking to Bonnie's room. When she walked in, Bonnie was almost in tears. Elena's eyes widened and she ran to Bonnie. "Oh, my god, Elena, it's gone! I can't believe it's gone!"

"Bonnie, what's gone?"

"My grimoire! My grimoire is gone!"

Elena's jaw dropped. Could a witch even lose her grimoire? Obviously because there was no trace of Bonnie's grimoire.

"Well, who do you think took it?" Elena asked calmly. Bonnie was still running around her room like a mad woman. Elena had to physically grab Bonnie stop her. Even then, as Elena held her by her shoulders, Bonnie was still looking around her room wildly. "Hey, Bonnie, calm down for a second. I promise we'll find it, but first we need to find out why someone would take it and who. Do you know who would want to take it?"

"No!" Bonnie yelled. "The only person who would need to use it is my family and I don't think my mom would be using it. My dad's not a witch. And Klaus is gone. And so is my grimoire! And I can't do this. I need my grimoire now! This is bad, Elena! We need to find it!"

Elena knew Bonnie losing her grimoire was the one thing she couldn't handle and she wanted to find the grimoire right there and then. But they both knew that wasn't going to happen. Elena needed to find a way to calm down Bonnie before she did something she would regret.

The next few days went by without them finding the grimoire. They enlisted the help of Damon, Alaric, Caroline, and even Matt, but they couldn't find a single thing. Bonnie was crying herself to sleep. She had no idea what she was going to do without her grimoire. Her Grams on the Other Side was probably already disappointed. A witch without her grimoire was like pen without ink.

Elena was about to call Elijah and ask him, but she stopped. He was probably with Klaus, and he'd hear that she was alive. Elena was debating on giving up her invisibility for Bonnie. After a long talk with Damon (which was mostly yelling) and thinking all night, she finally decided to call Elijah.

He didn't answer. This was the first time she called Elijah at all and he didn't answer. In fact, it said that his number was disconnected. Why would that happen? Did he really want nothing to do with them anymore?

Damon didn't want her to call him at all. When Elena told Damon Elijah didn't pick up, he was more than happy. If Elena gave up her dead act, then all their work trying to save Elena would be for nothing. As much as he wanted to find the damn grimoire and stop Bonnie's whining to get back to finding his brother and his best friend, Damon had no idea what to do.

Elena woke up the fourth morning of the disappearance of the grimoire to the ringing of her phone. She opened her eyes groggily and looked at the screen. When she saw Bonnie's name flash on the screen, she woke up instantly.

"Bonnie?" she answered.

"Elena, you need to get over here," was all that Bonnie said.

The Gilbert twin frowned. "Why? What happened?"

Bonnie hesitated. Was she going to tell her over the phone? "You just really need to come to my house."

"Okay. See you in five." Elena hung up and hopped out of bed. She threw on a t-shirt, some jeans and Converse, and threw her hair up in a bun since she was too much in a rush to brush her hair. As she walked out, she checked in on Jeremy, who was still sleeping peacefully and Alaric, who was sleeping on the couch _again._

She didn't like that he didn't take one of the rooms. Sleeping on the couch must have been horrible. His back must have been paying for it. For some reason, Alaric was still at their house even after Jenna died. It was like he felt as though he was responsible for them. He wasn't. He could've left whenever he wanted, but he stayed. Even though they technically didn't have a guardian over 18, Elena didn't want to burden upon Ric. He had already done enough for them. As much as she wanted Ric to stay, she wanted to him to have a life too.

But she had no time to think about that. Elena grabbed the keys to Ric's car (which he let them use) (they were the closest and she was in a rush). The drive to Bonnie's house was hard. She kept thinking and wondering what was going on. She hoped that Bonnie finally found the grimoire, but she thought that would seem silly.

When Elena arrived, she quickly texted Damon and told him that Bonnie might have found something. By the time he texted her back, Elena was already in the house talking to Bonnie.

"Hey, what's up?"

Bonnie grabbed Elena's hand instead of replying. She took Elena to her room and closed the door. Her dad was still sleeping and he had no idea that her grimoire was gone at all. Bonnie pointed to the bed and there Elena saw the grimoire.

Bonnie started explaining, "It just appeared this morning. I woke up because I felt it on my legs."

There was a sticky note on the grimoire.

_Thanks for the loan, _it read in perfect cursive.

"I don't know whose writing that is," Bonnie said. But Elena was still in awe. Even though they had no idea what was going on, Elena still had an idea who was behind it. It didn't make any sense especially since she was gone. But she had a strong feeling in her stomach and a voice in the back of her head whispering _Courtney._


	4. Chapter 4

_Four_

Getting Bonnie's grimoire was easier than I thought. Hiding the grimoire from the two vampires was easier than I thought. Finding the spell I needed to fake my death and finding information on staying alive and resurrecting Ryan was easier than I thought. Getting the grimoire back to Bonnie was easier than I thought. Dying, now that was hard as fuck.

There was so much pain that set me back. That was why I needed the grimoire for four days. I could've gotten it done in one day. I did have to pass a few protective spells, but they were a breeze. I felt as though my emotions set me back. But now all that I cared about was getting away, I felt more powerful. I even found a something in there about gaining more power. That made my mouth water. The more power, the longer I'd live.

But the pain of dying kept me awake most nights. My throat would burn, hands would shake, I stopped sweating, but my body was on fire all the time. Some nights I was ice cold and others, I might as well have been a heater. Klaus and Stefan had no idea what to do. Klaus's witches were too scared to come near me and they refused to give an explanation. I assumed it was because of who I was; I seemed to scare most witches away.

Sometimes I'd find random cuts and burns on my skin that weren't even there before. And sometimes in my nightmares, I'd be cut in the dream and in the real world. Dying was not as peaceful as I hoped it would be. I hoped that I'd want to sleep more, but now I'm fighting sleep. I thought I'd always be cold, but I always want the windows open. But if I was going to die, I'd rather I'd die in the arms of Tyler. I would thrash around at night and scream, but I'd hope that he'd deal with it. Dying with Stefan and Klaus wasn't my ideal death.

Stefan would always just look at me with pity while Klaus would sulk in the other corner. He hated looking at me. And I hated them looking at me. My hair was everywhere (I was too lazy to brush it) and I usually had blood all over me. I hated showering because I'd see blood coming from the spout and I felt that I was showering in blood. (The first time I showered, I screamed because I thought I actually was showering in blood, in Ryan's blood, and Klaus had to come rescue me. It wasn't awkward because I was naked; it was awkward because I kept mumbling Ryan's name along with apologies. Luckily, Klaus never did ask me who Ryan was. He probably just got that information from Stefan.) And I looked like I was dying because I was. Word of advice for you: Don't die.

Klaus and Stefan were out trying to find a way to save me on a Wednesday. I woke up from my dream the same way I woke up from every dream. But this time, I was ready. I was ready to leave, I ready to get out. I wanted to take a (bloody) shower, brush my hair and finally put on some makeup so I didn't die ugly, but that would be stupid. Klaus would get suspicious and then he'd keep my body instead of burying me.

So I just started the spell without cleaning myself up. I had to pour water on the bed so I channel some power from nature. I was thinking of putting my hand in water, but how weird would it be to find someone dead with their hand in water? Could a dead person pee themselves? I didn't want to test that theory.

I mumbled the spell and I died. Just like that. I didn't really feel anything. I just felt as though I mumbled a spell and then fell asleep.

But not for long.

When I woke up (finally a dreamless sleep), I was in a dark place. I felt the places around me, and I assumed it was a coffin. I smiled to myself. _It worked. I'm free. _I remembered that I never got to say goodbye to either of them, but what was done was done. I was finally free from the Mystic Falls drama and there was no way I was turning back.

Using my new regenerated powers, I popped the coffin open. I felt as though I was on top of the world. I felt better than I had ever felt before. There was no longer all that death pain in my body and hopefully I didn't look shitty.

I stepped out of the coffin. I was in the same warehouse Klaus put his family in. Nodding, I looked down at my clothes. I was wearing a gown of some sort; lingerie? Klaus put me in fucking lingerie for my death dress? That fucking asshole. And Stefan let him? Those fucking assholes. This was one of the reason I was glad I got out of there; it would've been hella awkward if Klaus ever found out that Stefan and I were a thing.

I guess I would love to say I felt a little regret, but I didn't feel any at all. I was so happy and excited that I was finally away from all that drama. I couldn't say that I would miss any of them really, except maybe Tyler and Caroline. Bonnie had turned into an uptight witch and Elena was just killing everyone in our family. Tyler was my longtime friend and Caroline had been there every time for me. And sure, I would miss them while I was gone on my trip, but then again, sometimes you've got to make sacrifices.

_Back in Mystic Falls, again? Well, time to get out, _I thought to myself. My feet were bare and I was looking like I just woke up (which I did), but I walked out of the warehouse into daylight where everyone could see me. I just needed to find someone, compel them to give me clothes and then borrow their car. I thought of Ani, but then I realized she could be one of the only people who could talk me out of it, so I couldn't go to her. Then I thought of Dana, this girl at my school. She was easy, I knew her, and she never even spoke to Elena, so I wouldn't have to worry about them compelling her.

I'd never been to Dana's house before or even knew where she lived exactly, but all I had to think of was her room and I was there. Just as I expected, she wasn't there, and no one else was either. Looking around her room, I found that hers looked something like what I wanted mine to look like before my parents died. She had posters of her favorite bands and celebrities, and books (I didn't even know she read). Her bed was made to perfection and her room was pristine. There was a self of movies right above her books self, and let me tell you, she had good taste. Her room wasn't as bright as I expected it to be, but it was somewhere close to her personality. The room itself had an inviting feeling that made you just want to cuddle up in the covers and read a book. I felt like I was at home in the room. I felt like I was human again, like my parents were just downstairs with Elena making dinner and they'd call me down at any minute so we could all eat together.

Memories came bubbling up from when I had a real life. When I first made out with Tyler in my bedroom and then Ryan before that, crying over Tyler, realizing that Caroline so had a thing for Matt and being jealous of Bonnie's total stunning beauty. I felt like I was in sophomore year again and I was just playing with my friends and arguing over who had dibs and all the crazy, human shit that I so desperately wanted. I wanted to have my human life back without any of the supernatural world. I would trade Klaus and Stefan and Damon and Katherine just to have my human life back with Ryan. I'd much rather be with him than any of them.

I lay on the bed, exhausted from all the memories. I felt something under my back, and I pulled from under the pillow a diary. I scoffed at her horrible hiding skills, but opened the diary anyway. Invasion of privacy, but I was a psychopath looking for her ways to resurrect her dead boyfriend, I didn't care about other people's feelings.

_Dear Diary,_

_It's happened again. Everyone is fawning over Courtney and Elena and Caroline and Bonnie again. I still don't understand why people ignore me when they come around. They're so cool and popular and beautiful and I'm just here stuck._

_I wish I could be like them._

_Sincerely, Dana_

Just kidding, it didn't say that. What it said was much more boring than that. It was something to do with shopping and how cute this lacrosse player was. I got bored after the first two pages. Elena's diary was much more…compelling.

I went through Dana's closet, looking for clothes, and I found a few. Then I got a bag and started packing a few things I would need on my trip to resurrect my boyfriend. I decided that waiting for Dana would take too long; I needed to get what I needed to get and fast. There was no way I was going to get caught by the Scooby Doo gang before I even started my plan.

I got food and clothes and I even found car keys lying on the table. I knew that somehow I'd have to repay Dana's family back for being so stupid and I decided I was going to do that by _not _killing them.

Having all that I needed, I got in the car and drove.

The first place I was stopping was Texas. Apparently, there was a witch there. While flipping through the grimoire, there was apparently a witch, Isla Leboniz that was helped by Sheila. Ibona must have owed Sheila something or the name Isla wouldn't be in the grimoire with the note _Go to for help _written by her name.

As I drove, I felt that something changed in me. I didn't really care about the people I was leaving behind. I didn't really care that I was leaving my family and my boyfriends and my best friends; I was happy about it. But at the same time, I didn't give a shit about anything, but resurrecting my dead boyfriend.

I knocked on the door lightly, and waited for Isla patiently. I arrived at a hotel and slept the night before finally heading out to find the witch. My powers felt especially strong that day, so I was ready to force it out of her. It wouldn't matter if I tortured her or not because she was going to die anyways. There was no way I was leaving a trail for Stefan or Klaus to follow after.

When the door finally opened, it was opened by a tall, dark-skinned lady looking like she was in her forties. She opened the door slightly and timidly like she was expecting something horrible was waiting for her outside her door. Her expression screamed fear and from that moment, I knew she was running from something or someone. I could smell the fragrance of burning candles so she was doing a spell and the room was dark behind her.

I put on a smile. "Hello, I'm a friend of Sheila's."

The woman sneered back, "Go away, _Katerina." _So she knew my mother. I wanted to roll my eyes at her ignorance, but I decided that taking that route wasn't going to get me anywhere. Instead, I kept on my smile and shook my head.

"I'm her doppelganger, Courtney," I corrected.

Isla raised her eyebrow, but the frown stayed on her face. "Even worse. Get off my doorstep, _fiend."_

_Well, now shit's going down._

I put my hand on her door and pushed it open with force. Isla stepped back from the force of the door with a confused expression. I mumbled the compulsion spell in my head and then compelled, "Now, invite me in." I could walk into her house even though I was half vampire anyway, but it was so much more fun hearing them invite me in.

"Come in."

Isla looked confused. She was probably wondering how she was compelled and how I had so much power if I wasn't a vampire. I stepped over the threshold happily and closed the door behind me. Ibona started chanting a spell, but I quickly cut her vocal chords.

Her hands flew to her throat. It bored me watching in her distress over her voice, so I took the quick second to look around. The room was dark, only lit by a few candles, everything was cleared out and it was unusually small. I walked over to her grimoire to find a cloaking spell opened. _Definitely running from someone._

I turned back to the now crying Isla. _Oh, god, humans. _I surprised myself by thinking this. I was a human just a few months ago and they ruined it. Anger suddenly bubbled up in my body and all I wanted to do was kill the people who took away my human life: Elena, Stefan and Damon. They were responsible for doing this to me. If Stefan would've just stayed away for a fucking moment, then maybe they wouldn't've gotten together and maybe I'd still be going to school like a normal teenager.

Shaking off the feeling, I refocused myself on the task at hand: interrogate Isla. I walked closer to her for dramatic effect and she just backed against the door. This make me giggle. This witch was actually afraid of me, not that I couldn't blame her. I would be afraid if a mere teenage girl had more power than I did.

"So, Isla, you're a friend of Sheila's?" Isla nodded. "So you can help me?" She was hesitant at first, but she eventually nodded. "I'm trying to resurrect someone; my boyfriend. He died a few years ago of an animal attack and…" My voice trailed off. _Animal attack? Have I really believed that all this time? _Vampire _attack. He died of a fucking _vampire _attack, Courtney! How did you not see that before? _I put that feeling aside for a second, against everything in my body, and returned my attention back to Isla. _I fucking hate vampires. _"…and I need him back. So if you don't know how to bring him back, I need you to point me in the direction of someone who does know. Now, if I mend your vocal chords, will you tell me?"

She nodded slowly. With the wave of my hand, she had her voice back. Sadly, she used it wrong. "_Ipsam_ _ad palum_—"

I cut her off by cutting her vocal chords again. She dropped to the ground, holding her throat, trying to talk. She scrambled around and squirmed, and all I could do was frown. She really was wasting my time. I walked closer and squat down so we could be at the same level. Once again, Isla backed against the door like it was some kind of protection.

"Look, I know you're scared, but there's two ways this could go: I could torture it out of you and then kill you in the end, or you could willingly tell me and everything will be fine. It's your choice."

Isla looked at me for a long time before her eyes flickered down to her hands. She looked so scared and so helpless, I wanted to laugh.

After thinking, she held up two fingers. I asked, "You want to go with option number two?" She nodded, and I returned her voice.

She gasped and laughed. "Girl, you're playing with fire."

"Don't test me," I snapped, "just tell me how to resurrect him."

She shook her head. "I don't know. But there is a witch in Nevada that drabbles in the dark side. Her name is Kelly Warden. She's protected, and you're not going to like it. She hates me, so you best be sure not to tell her I sent you."

I forced a smile. "Thank you."

I stood up and pushed her out of the way of the door. As I put my hand on the knob, she scrambled up and put her hand on my arm to stop me. I turned around to snap at her, but the expression on her face told me otherwise.

"If you do bring back your boyfriend, there's something you should know." She paused for dramatic effect which once again was wasting my time.

I sneered, "If you're going to say something, get on with it already."

She replied just as harsh, "There's always a price. And I hope you're willing to pay."

It shouldn't have hit me so hard, but it did. There was a price to pay. I didn't want to have to pay anything. Ryan was stolen from me and nature owed me him back. Yet it scared me so the very core that I would have to give up something. If nature wanted to bite me, I'd bite back harder. But there was something about her tone that told me she wasn't playing shit.

"Thanks for your help." Then I snapped her neck.

* * *

**Sorry it's been so long. I've had so many stories I've been doing, so sorry about that. And thanks for all the new follows! I hope you like the story.**

**katherineismikaelson**


	5. Chapter 5

**_Five_**

_Another dead end…_

Seventh time. There was no one that knows anything about resurrecting dead boyfriends and that annoys the crap out of me. How did they not know? Was it that hard to just resurrect someone and then pass on the information in your grimoire? I couldn't be the first one to want to resurrect someone I loved.

It had been weeks since I left Klaus and Stefan and ever since, I'd felt less and less human. When the witches gave me no information, I didn't just kill them. I tortured them. Their pleas and their screams for life caused me to laugh. My humanity was lost and I didn't even give a shit.

I sat in the hotel room, angry and frustrated. Why couldn't I find him? I wanted him there with me at that specific moment, but of course that wasn't happening. For some reason he just had to die on me and I couldn't find a fucking way to bring him back. There had to be some way, some reason as to bringing someone back from the dead and I needed to find it.

I slowly got impatient with the witches when they answered and I might have killed a few too quickly. Still, none had answers and that was what pissed me off.

After a few minutes of internally screaming, my phone rang. I was at it in less than a second from across the room.

_Unknown number calling…_

"Hello?" I answered.

"Courtney Gilbert," the voice said knowingly. I hated people who were so sure of themselves. "You've been searching for a long time, haven't you?"

"And who is this?"

"This is the person who will give you what you want." My heart didn't flutter and I didn't feel relieved. In fact, I felt annoyed. I only trusted people who I confronted, not confronted me. But I had to give it a try, for Ryan's sake. I was going to find a way to bring him back and then we were going to live happily ever after. It was just a matter of time until I found the right witch who would tell me what I wanted. Not that I believed that this witch would know anything of what I wanted to know. I was itching to kill someone though.

"Alright, we'll meet up," I agreed, trying not to sound as bored as I was.

"Alone. Meet me at the park on 44th street and then we'll talk about my payment. And then, and only then, will I tell you how to bring back whoever you want to bring back."

The phone went dead. She never said what time, so I just assumed that we'd meet now.

The lady sounded so…proud. And that was what annoyed me to the core. If she didn't have a way to resurrect my true love, then she'd get the worse torture. I'd try new things with her.

I'd found that if I forced blood down witches throats, they healed. It was like I was a vampire without all the craving. I had to thank whoever created me very generously because my vampire _and _witch powers came in handy so much. It was like I had more power over anyone who crossed my path. That was the best thing in the world for me.

I slipped my phone in my pocket and got the keys to my new (stolen) car. The drive to the park was uneventful, like my search for resurrection. When I finally arrived, I spotted a woman sitting on a bench. She was older, but not old; looked about in her forties. She had a smug little smile on her face like she was happy to break the rules of nature for some teenager. She disgusted me.

_I am definitely killing her today._

I walked over to her quickly. "Hello," I greeted when I finally got to her. She smiled up at me. "So let's talk."

"Yes, we shall. Sit." I was reluctant to sit because sitting meant a long talk and I wasn't in the mood. I was barely in the mood to spare her life longer than five minutes. "I'm Arietta."

"Courtney."

"I know," she replied. "You've been looking for a long time, haven't you?"

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "Look, _witch_, let's get this going quickly. I don't want to sit and chat, I want to get the spell done, get my boyfriend back, and maybe I'll kill you quickly."

Arietta's smile didn't falter. "Rude, girl. You will talk to me with respect."

There was a sudden sharp pain in my head and I winced. By her smile, I knew she was doing it. Although the pain didn't hurt much, I pretended that it was the worse headache I ever had. "See, there, you're not the best. You'll talk to me with respect."

At this sentence, I stopped pretending and put a smile on my face. "I'll talk to you however I want. Now I'm definitely going to kill you and it's going to be slow." Her smile disappeared while mine suddenly appeared. I started choking her without even using my hands. "You feel that? I'm crushing your windpipe. I'm about to release and that's when you're going to tell me how to get my boyfriend back, alright?" She didn't nod (although, she was busy with trying to get air in her lungs), so I crushed harder. "Alright?"

She nodded furiously. I let her suffering go on for a few more moments before letting her breathe again. Arietta took in multiple deep breaths, annoying me to the core. Sometimes I didn't even need to breathe, so I didn't. I guess I felt a little more human breathing and all.

"Fine, fine," she finally began, "I'll show you. But we have to go to my home. I have it all set up there."

I nodded and took her hand. _Arietta's home, _I thought. We were there, sitting on her couch in less than a second. _I just love teleportation._

She looked around, almost afraid mixed with curiosity. After looking around her house, she looked at me. "I'm more powerful than you think," was all I had to say to her.

I stood up from her couch and looked around. It was a small living room. She had candles set up on the fireplace and on the coffee table. The paint was peeling off the walls, although the kitchen looked new. Her couch was lumpy and old with a musty smell coming from the cushions. Arietta had her drapes closed, even with the few holes in them to see the outside. Her house was something out of a scary movie.

"Cute place," I commented sarcastically.

"Shush, girl," she quickly snapped, making me raise my eyebrow. She must have forgotten that I could end her life with the snap of my fingers. Almost as if she read my mind, she added, "If you kill me, you'll never know how to resurrect."

That was true, but I had other ways of making her tell me.

Arietta hobbled over to her grimoire on the coffee table. I noticed that her ankle was twisted a different way than mine, causing her to limp. "What happened there?" I asked.

"Werewolf. I can't heal it by myself and I refuse to go to the doctor. Only thing that can heal me now is vampirism and I ain't doing that." I giggled at her pain. She whirled around and stared at me angrily. "Do you want to know or not?"

"Yes, _ma'am._"

"Then get your ass over here." I took a few steps closer to her and her grimoire at the coffee table. While she sat on one side, I sat on the other. "You want to know how to get him back, you need to channel him. Find him on the Other Side and pull him towards you."

"Problem," I interrupted, "he's not on the Other Side. The Other Side is for supernatural creatures; he was human."

Somehow, Arietta's expression went even more sour than before. "This complicates things quite a big, girl. Now we'll have to search for him on the other _Other _Side."

"And what is that?"

Arietta explained, "They call it the Afterlife. Once a human dies, they go to another life and they live. If you resurrect a human, they'll have no recollection of the Afterlife. They'll remember their life on this plane and you'll have them back."

"Good, so let's search the Afterlife and we'll bring him back," I demanded. "Come on. _Now._"

She gave me a disgusted look and I returned the favor. She then took my hands and closed her eyes. As much as I didn't want to touch her, I held her hands and closed my eyes too. "Focus. Find him. Chant his name, channel your emotions for him and then search," the woman instructed.

_Ryan, honey, come back to me, _I thought. _I love you, and I need you. _Arietta began mumbling something, but I ignored her and kept thinking. _I love you so much and you need to come back. You're welcomed here. We can have a life, my love, all you need to do is find me. And then I'll do the rest. Please, Ryan, baby. Come back to me._

I kept thinking and wishing for Ryan. Then Arietta stopped chanting and pulled her hands away from me. I looked up from my trance back at her; she looked annoyed. "What? Why did you stop?"

"_Is this a joke?"_ she asked harshly. My anger flared up again.

_"__A joke? _What makes you say that?"

"He's not there."

This hit me like a ton of bricks. Like someone was throwing bricks at me one by one. _He's not there? How is that possible? He died as a human. He can't be on the Other Side if he wasn't anything supernatural. Unless he was…_

"Fine, we'll check the Other Side."

And that's what we did.

Once again, her answer: "He's not there."

I stood up from the table and walked around nervously. How the fuck isn't he there? How is he not on the Other Side or the Afterlife? Is she just messing with me? Or did he go to Hell or somewhere like that? He died; I know that. How did he not go to some kind of afterlife or something because he deserved that. Ryan deserved to go to Heaven and become an angel. He was that good of a person. Well, at least I thought.

Arietta said something, but I ignored her. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to even listen to what she had to say. I wanted to scream and cry and yell and cuss all at the same time. I wanted to collapse and call out his name repeatedly. How isn't he there?!

"Girl! Are you listening to me?"

"What?" I snapped.

"He's not dead. He's alive somewhere." She was just making bullshit up. He was there and she just didn't want to break the laws of nature for me. She was lying! She had to be because my Ryan wasn't alive. And if he was, why didn't he find me? Did he not love me? What the actual fuck?

"You're lying and I'm going to kill you."

She said something to try and stop me, but I continued to snap her neck. I wasn't in the mood for any torture. I simply took her head in my hands and twisted. Her body fell to the ground, lifeless.

"Stupid, lying bitch."

* * *

Back in Mystic Falls. My home. It kind of made me sad that I had to return here, especially because this was the place I thought my boyfriend died, but it turned out that he was still alive and living a life. Without me. And if he could live without me so easily, I would live without him.

It was about noon time when I spotted my old friend Alaric Saltzman. He looked all confused and a little sad, which made me jump with joy. Not because I saw him, but because I saw him in pain. I really sadistic now, it's kind of depressing.

I walked up to him with a smile on my face.

"Courtney?" he asked unbelievably.

"In the flesh," I replied with a smile. He got up from his chair to hug me, but instead, I grabbed him by the neck and my genuine smiled turned dark. "I want you to deliver a message to the Scooby gang. _Game on._"

* * *

**Salvatore Boarding House**

Ric had called the gang to the boarding house for some reason, and Damon wasn't in the mood. Bonnie and Elena hated Damon for killing her mom and Stefan was all cut off from blood. And to add on top of that, he couldn't have a drink with his best friend because she was dead. Damon's day was pretty shitty starting out.

Elena and Caroline had arrived, both looking at him with disgusted expressions. He didn't exactly love the fact that Elena loathed him, but he accepted it because that was the way it was going to be. They even were cool with Stefan, who helped kill Bonnie's mom which kind of outraged Damon.

They all gathered in the library, waiting for Ric to actually show up. As they waited, Caroline, Elena and Stefan all talked among themselves while Damon poured himself a drink. It was what he was doing all morning. Drinking and singing sadly and wondering why the hell Courtney died on him so soon. He was planning on finding a way to save her, but then Klaus had to whisk her away from him. Sure he was mad at her for screwing Klaus and not telling them, but she was still his best friend and he didn't want her to leave no matter what she did.

Finally, Ric opened the door and rushed inside. He was panting, his face was flushed and there was a certain look in his eye that made Damon nervous. Was it the Mikaelsons again? Did they want something else that Damon couldn't give them without Elena hating him? If it was, Damon was just going to take Elena and run away with her to make sure she was safe because he was not going through another fucking sacrifice.

"Ric, what's going on?" Elena asked him.

He took another breath. "Courtney." Just that name made Damon perk up. Did he find a way to save her? "She's still alive." And with those words, Damon's whole world came crashing down. Sure, he was happy to hear that she was alive, but all this time he was convinced she wasn't?

"She's what?"

"Where is she?" Elena asked hopefully. Damon had a feeling that she wasn't anywhere near the boarding house. He looked at Elena with sad eyes. She looked so happy and so hopeful. Damon almost wanted Ric to lie to her so he could continue seeing her happy face.

But reality kicked in. "She's not coming. She has a message for us: _'Game on.'_"

Everyone was silent. What the actual fuck?

"'Game on'? What does that even mean?" Caroline questioned. Damon's exact thoughts. Maybe Ric saw Katherine and not Courtney. If it was Courtney, she'd be hugging Elena, then Caroline and then Damon because she would've missed them just as much as they missed her. She wouldn't be challenging them like some kind of ungrateful bitch who didn't just come back from the dead.

"I don't know, but she's not the same Courtney," Ric replied. "There was something in her eyes. Something that told me she wasn't human. It was like her… Like her humanity was _gone._"

Damon had to talk. "Ric, you must be drunk. If Courtney's back, she'd be here right now. You saw Katherine."

"No, it was Courtney. Damon, you don't understand. There was no emotion in her eyes. The Courtney we knew and love is actually dead. Now only her body is walking around."

Damon didn't believe it. He couldn't. There was some part of him that would want to save Courtney always. No matter what happened, Courtney was going to be saved. Ric was talking bullshit and she was alive. Courtney had her humanity and she was going to join him for a drink. Damon wasn't giving up on Courtney Gilbert.

The oldest Salvatore slammed his drink down and questioned, "Where did you see her?"

"Damon, you're not going after her," Stefan denied. "Not until we figure out what's going on."

"Stefan, shut up."

Damon started to walk forward, but Stefan put his hand on his chest. "You're not going anywhere."

He wasn't going to put up with this. Stefan was suddenly flying backwards into the window. Damon was on the move to Alaric again. He took him by the collar and repeated, "Where did you see her?"

Damon was thrown off of Ric into the couch. "Damon, hold on a second."

"Don't you want to find her?" Damon yelled back at Stefan. "Don't you want to know if he's telling the truth?"

"The Grill," Ric answered. "I saw her at the Grill."

Stefan sighed. "Alaric…"

"I want to find her, Stefan," Ric interrupted. "We're going to bring her back. The real Courtney Gilbert."

"We need to figure out what we're dealing with first!" Stefan yelled out.

"Arguing isn't going to help," Elena butt in. "I agree with Stefan; we need to find out what's going on, but Alaric's right too. We also need to find her."

Damon nodded proudly. "Then we'll go out and find her. After, we'll interrogate her. Simple." He walked to the door and opened it, but Damon didn't get far. Out of nowhere, a stake flew into his stomach, causing him to drop to the ground.

"Ready or not, here I come!" A voice yelled after the stake. It resembled Courtney's voice very much. It didn't have a vindictive snare to it like Katherine's, but it didn't have soft touch to it like Courtney's regular tone. Damon identified it as the playful tone Courtney used when she was angry at someone.

Stefan and Elena rushed to Damon's aid while Caroline closed the door. They dragged him back into the house.

"What was that?" Damon asked.

Alaric was the first to answer. "That was Courtney."

* * *

"Why am I here?" Klaus demanded angrily. Bonnie asked the same question.

"I should be with my mother," she argued. "Not here with you."

Stefan simply stated, "Courtney's back."

"And now she's mean," Damon added, remembering the pain of the stake in his stomach. (It was coated with vervain, so it was extra painful.)

Klaus raised his eyebrow. "What are you on about?"

"Courtney's back," Elena repeated, "And for some reason she wants revenge. She left us a note on the stake that impaled Damon." Bonnie smiled at the thought.

"She wrote in her beautiful handwriting, _'I'll make your lives hell. I can only return the favor. Courtney.'_"

Klaus's expression was unreadable while Bonnie looked like she was thinking. Everyone else was silent, waiting for their reactions. Finally, Klaus said something. "Impossible. I saw her dead body. I put her away in my family tomb."

"Not impossible," Bonnie interrupted. "My grimoire was taken, probably around the time she 'died.' She must have borrowed it to use the spell I used to fake my death."

Klaus was speechless. Even though it wasn't a laughing matter, Damon chuckled at the sight of Klaus's confusion. Bitch deserved it.

Out of nowhere, all the vampires felt pain in their heads. Damon dropped his glass and fell to the floor with all the other vampires. Alaric and Elena started bleeding profusely while Bonnie went temporarily blind. They all were screaming out for it to stop, just what Courtney wanted.

The pain was unbearable for Damon. He didn't know how to deal with it. Sure, Bonnie had caused aneurisms before, but nothing compared to this. In all his life, vampire and human, he'd never experienced such pain that made him want to die.

Abruptly, it stopped and everyone was okay again. Although they were just bleeding, Elena and Alaric's wounds had totally healed and Bonnie's sight was back. Damon flashed over to Elena to make sure she was okay, much like Stefan.

"Are you alright?" Damon asked Elena, but she ignored him. When Stefan asked the same question, she answered 'fine.'

Damon turned to see if Alaric was okay, but he wasn't looking in Damon's direction. He was looking at the wall. Damon followed Ric's gaze to find the words _Living Hell _written across his wall in blood. It was signed the name _Courtney._

"You see," Ric began. "She's back and she's out for blood."


	6. Chapter 6

**_Six_**

"How do we kill her?" Damon asked as they all gathered. A week. It had already been a week of their torture and it was not fun at all. They went through so much shit, Damon was starting to wonder if it was Courtney at all. It couldn't be. She had no reason to be mad at them. They did everything to try and save her. Sure they were mad at her at first, but Damon got over it. He accepted it and moved on and there was no reason for her to be mad at them. She was the one who betrayed them, not the other way around. If she needed to be mad at anyone, it needed to be Klaus since he was the one who screwed everything up.

Damon was now fed up with her whole attitude and he just wanted it to end.

"Kill her?" Elena repeated, outraged. "We're not going to kill her. We just need to find a way to stop her from doing this. And we need to ask her why she's doing it. There's obviously something going on with Courtney and we need to stop it."

"Why is he still here?" Everyone looked over at Klaus who was deep in thought. He smiled at them all.

Klaus answered, "I'm here for the common interest: stop Courtney. She's been killing a few of my hybrids. I can't let that happen."

"This isn't the real Courtney," Matt butt in. "We can't kill her until we really know what's going on. We need to at least try and save her."

Alaric stated, "She doesn't want to be saved."

"Ric," Elena scolded, but he just shrugged.

"I'm just stating the facts. The real person we should be mad at is Klaus. He's probably the one who fucked her up."

"Keep talking, hunter, see where that'll get you," Klaus warned.

Ric quickly turned to Klaus. "We all know you're the one who caused this. Maybe if you offer up your head to her, maybe she'll stop. Just take one for the team."

"I'm not the one who did anything," Klaus growled back. Ric and Klaus were slowly taking steps forward to each other, arguing. Damon rolled his eyes and stepped in between them. They were close enough for him to put his hand on both of their chests.

"Not the time to argue," Damon simply stated. "We need to get a plan. How do we get Courtney back? Without hurting her."

Everyone looked around at each other in silence. No one knew the answer to that question. They all loved Courtney dearly, but she was doing things to them that they never imagined. The torture she put them through was unbearable and they all wanted it to stop. Even Klaus was starting to acquire long-term effects from her torment.

"We have to kill her," Bonnie stated, breaking the silence. After her words, there were no words to describe the hate that filled up the room. The anger clearly evident on everyone's faces as they looked at Bonnie was indescribable.

"I don't know why I didn't just kill you, _witch._"

"What's your plan, Klaus?" Bonnie shot back. "What's your idea? It's not like we can do anything because Courtney's gone off the deep end. She wants to torture us all. How am I supposed to react to that? My mother's a vampire and she needs me." Bonnie looked bitterly at Damon. "The only way to end this is to kill her."

The youngest Gilbert said, "Then find a way to bring her back."

Jeremy hadn't said a thing this whole time and most everyone was surprised that he was even there. Jeremy was the only person Courtney hadn't tortured like the others. He was left completely unharmed from her evil clutches. It confused Damon that Courtney would torture Elena, her sister, but not Jeremy, her brother.

"Jeremy, I don't—"

"Find a way, Bonnie," Jeremy demanded again. "She's my sister, your best friend and everyone here loves her. She's obviously not right in the head and she needs our help. Maybe if I could just talk to her—"

"I'm not letting you do that," Elena interrupted. "Courtney might not hold back and _not _kill you. I'm not risking that chance."

"I have my ring," Jeremy protested, but Elena continued to shake her head. "She's not mad at me. She's mad at all of you."

Damon scoffed. "How would you know that?"

Jeremy looked bitterly amused. "Think about it: all of you have done something to fuck her over."

"Wrong. I haven't," Caroline objected.

"You went after her ex-boyfriend." Caroline suddenly looked down at her hands at this. She did go after Tyler when she realized how much she actually had feelings for him. Of course, Caroline didn't think how Courtney would feel because she thought her best friend was dead, but that made her feel even worse. Her best friend was thought to be dead and Caroline still went after Tyler. "Know it or not, you've all done something to hurt her. Hate to sound like a saint, but I've been the only one who's actually stuck by her and not hurt her."

Suddenly, Damon's phone started ringing. For a moment, the air was still. No one dare took a breath, in case it was Courtney who was calling. The hope and the excitement ran through Damon's veins as he took out his phone from his pocket. He could feel all eyes on him as he moved, everyone watching and waiting. But as soon as he saw the screen name, he couldn't feel more disappointed. In fact, he was contemplating whether to actually talk to her.

"Katherine," he answered when he finally decided he'd pick up. Elena, Jeremy and Bonnie all lost their hope and when back to wondering what was happening. The vampires intently listened to the conversation what was about to unfold.

_"__Damon, I think we need to talk."_

"Why, Katherine?" Damon was getting bored with this conversation quickly. Klaus looked a little intent on finding out where she was since once again, she escaped his grasps.

_"__I know what's up with Courtney."_

Suddenly Damon and every other vampire in the room were totally and completely focused on Katherine. If she knew anything on Courtney, then they wanted to know. It could help them find a way to bring Courtney back to her _Courtney_ personality.

"Tell me, _now_," Damon demanded.

_"__Uh, uh. It doesn't work that way, Damon." _His annoyance with Katherine didn't fade, it heightened. Katherine always knew how to get on his last nerve._ You want something from me and I want something from you. Maybe we could make a deal?"_

"What do you want?"

_"__What I want from you isn't something you can just hand over."_

"Katherine, just tell me what you want." He had a bad feeling about it, but for Courtney, he'd do anything. Getting her back was the number one priority on his list. Damon knew that was how everyone else felt too.

_"__An invitation to Courtney's funeral."_

Damon was stunned. Why would Katherine say that? "Did Katherine kill—" Damon cut Stefan off.

"Katherine actually loves Courtney. She wouldn't do that."

_"__Exactly."_

"So why would you say it?" Klaus demanded as Damon put Katherine on speaker phone.

_"__Because she told me. The only way to stop Courtney is to kill her. And if she's doing the same torture to you as she does to me, I'm pretty sure you'll want her to stop."_

"We're not killing her," Jeremy argued harshly. Sure, she was being a bitch to them, but Courtney was still his sister and he'd do anything to protect her. He wasn't letting her die for anyone or anything.

Katherine replied, _"Believe me, I don't want her dead either. But she looked so…happy when she told me. She looked happy to die."_

No one knew what to say to that. Courtney had never been suicidal in her life. She had been reckless and wild, but never suicidal. She'd been selfless and brave, but _never _suicidal. Hearing this almost made Damon claim Katherine was making up bullshit and throw the phone across the room. Courtney would never want herself to die.

_"__Damon, I know it's hard, but it's true. Courtney wants to die." _Instead of replying, Damon hung up. He couldn't bear listening to anything else she had to say. Katherine always did this to them; she lied and she cheated and she played all to get what she wanted. A fucking funeral invitation? Katherine wasn't even going to see Courtney's coffin if Damon had anything to do with it.

"Why did you do that?" Stefan snapped.

"She's lying," Damon simply replied. "That's what Katherine does: she lies. We can find a way to save Courtney, but only if we think. So, let's think."

"If we find her, we could convince her to come back," Jeremy suggested. "Show her that there are still people who love her."

Damon thought of the idea and then agreed, "Good idea, Little Gilbert."

"You can't ignore this," Elena called out. "Katherine just said that Courtney wants to die. We have to think about that."

"No, we don't," Damon denied. "We just need to think about how to bring her back. How do we get her to know that she's loved?"

Caroline and Bonnie joined in on the conversation about confronting Courtney and them all telling her they loved her, but Elena didn't. She looked the angriest. Elena was done with all their bullshit. If Damon wanted to ignore the fact that Courtney was so distraught and suicidal, he could, but there was no way Elena was ignoring that. Sure, they found out that Courtney was created to kill Elena, but Courtney was still her twin sister. There was no way in hell that she was going to let someone else in her family die. She was going to fight long and hard for Courtney and not let _anyone _kill her or let _her _kill herself.

"Damon!" They stopped talking. No one had ever heard Elena yell so angrily or so loud. She wasn't shaking with anger nor have a frustrated expression. She just looked so angry Klaus didn't even want to mess with her. "We are not ignoring the fact that she's suicidal. If she hurt herself, I'm the one who has to live with her decision. I grew up with her, I shared a crib with her, and I've been there every second of her life to smile or to cry. Don't fucking tell me that we're ignoring that fact. She _my sister _and you may think that's not important, but Courtney's never felt that way. Instead of telling her how much you love her, how about you ask her about her problems. Ever think of that? No, you didn't because you've never done that. You've never asked her how she felt before. Everyone single fucking person here has, but you. _I'm _the one who has to lose another family member. We're going to ask her why she's doing this, how she's feeling and then—and only then will we tell her that we love her."

Damon was taken back. He'd never seen Elena so authoritative or direct. Elena had gotten mad at Damon a lot over the past few months, but never like this. She seemed as though she was ready to torture him herself.

He didn't know what to say to any of it. Because it was true. Damon hadn't ever asked Courtney how she was feeling; he sort of just sensed it. He never asked her to talk it out with him because he wasn't comfortable having a confession session with anyone. Damon was without human friends for a long time and he didn't know how to act with them. Even the thought about talking about someone's feelings with him made his skin crawl. But when he thought about talking about Courtney's feelings with her, he felt guilty. What kind of friend was he? All Damon ever did was comfort her and protect her, but maybe that wasn't enough. Maybe he needed to share secrets and talk about feelings and all that chick-flick shit.

Apparently Elena took Damon's silence as an insult because she stomped off in less than fifteen seconds.

No one even tried to stop her. Elena opened the door of the Salvatore boarding house and didn't even look back. She got in her car and started driving, but she didn't know where she was going. Home was just going to make her cry and actually running into Courtney at the Grill was not what she needed. Elena just really wanted to scream.

The frustration was building up inside her. Klaus and Bonnie's mom and Courtney; the problems were just building up. Not to mention her recent encounter with the female Original put her on the edge. Elena's life was always in danger, but she never got used to it. She just thought of the times when she didn't have to worry about any of that.

She'd just wake up in the mornings and her only worries would be if she remembered to study for a test and if her hair was frizzy or not. Elena would brush her teeth, dress in her cheer uniform and then meet her family down in the kitchen. Courtney would be wearing some ridiculous outfit that she could totally pull off and Jeremy would be looking like the total freshman cool kid he was. Her parents would smile at her and they'd hand her a plate of pancakes. The bus would come and they'd all get on; Courtney and Jeremy with a frown (because it was school, duh) and Elena with a smile.

She used to love school. Not only would she see her loving boyfriend, but she'd also get to cheer, which was her favorite pass time, and see her friends and have a normal life. Now the thing she worried about when she woke up in the morning was if she was going to live or not. That wasn't something an eighteen year old should be worrying about.

When Elena finally broke out of her thoughts, she realized there was someone standing on the road in front of her. They looked injured by the way they were limping. This was a trick that many vampires used on humans, but she knew that a vampire wasn't going to mess with her since Klaus was using her for her blood. Wasn't her favorite excuse, but it would come in handy. No vampire wanted to get on Klaus's bad side and kill his hybrid blood bag.

As she got closer to the person, she realized that she couldn't see her face. Her hair was short, but it was frizzy and covering her face. The girl's hand was on her leg, holding it like there was blood gushing out (_Great, I'm going to get blood on my seat) _and her arms looked as though they had a few faint scratches_._ Elena finally came to a stop and opened her car door slowly. The girl sighed in relief.

"Hi, are you okay?"

"Thank you for stopping," she thanked happily. "I—" The girl fell before she could say anything else. Elena rushed forward to help the girl up, but as she kneeled down, Elena realized that she was looking at herself. _Courtney._ "I'm okay now."

* * *

"Elena's right, you know," Stefan said to Damon, leaning on his doorframe. The past hour had been nothing but arguing between all of them. They couldn't seem to get over what Elena had said before she stomped out of the house. Damon couldn't shake his bad friendship.

"Stefan, not now," Damon waved off. He went down to get more alcohol since the one upstairs was going quicker than he thought, even though it was just him drinking it. The subject of crazy, suicidal Courtney drove him far enough to drink. "We're figuring it all out."

"No, we're not, Damon. We're just arguing and blaming her anger on each other. It's not helping anyone if we keep arguing." Stefan's brother stopped listening after he said no. Deciding he needed to do more, Stefan grabbed his brother and turned him to face him. "Damon, accept the fact that Courtney _might _be suicidal. And if we see her, ask her what she's feeling. Elena was right: you've never done that for her, have you? You've always just shrugged that off, haven't you? See all of us up there care about Courtney; we don't just feel guilty like you. When you finally decide this is about Courtney and not yourself, you can join us."

With that being said, Stefan let go of his brother and started walking up the steps, leaving Damon to his own thoughts. Did he feel guilty about being a bad friend? Did he just want to save Courtney to prove to her that he was good friend? Or to prove to himself that he was a good friend… Was Damon even a good friend to Courtney?

He popped the bottle open and drank straight from it. No point in using a glass if he was just going to drown the thing in a few minutes. As Damon walked up the steps, he heard a cell phone ring. When he realized it wasn't his, he appeared in the living room just as Stefan picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Hiya, Steffers," Courtney's voice greeted. Stefan's limbs went weak. She was alive, she was still here and she was calling from Elena's phone. He didn't know whether to be happy that he was talking to Courtney or worried that she was calling from the phone that left with Elena an hour ago. "We haven't talked in, like, forever. How are you doing?"

"Courtney, where are you?" Stefan asked breathlessly. She giggled. "Courtney."

"Oh, Stefan, I'm at the tomb. With my big sissy. Who is kind of tied up. Say hi, 'Lena." Stefan could hear the muffled scream of Elena. "See, she's just peachy, well, until I kill her." Every vampire didn't know what to say. They were all in shock. They expected Courtney to torture Elena mildly since she was a human, but kill her? They were family!

"Courtney, why are you doing this?"

"Maybe you'll just have to come to find out. And you better hurry. She might not make it out alive." The phone went to a dial tone. Stefan was frozen in his spot. Everyone was silent, still processing what just happened on the phone. Bonnie, Jeremy, and Alaric were still trying to figure out what was going on. They knew that Courtney was just on the line, but they didn't know what she said.

Damon was in shock. He didn't know what to say to any of it. He was a bad friend, Courtney was crazy, Elena was being held hostage by her sister and the only way to fix all of it was to kill Courtney. She wanted to die anyway, for some reason. As much as Damon wanted to just go ask her what she was feeling, the thought of talking out feelings made him squirm. Damon never had to deal with this as a vampire. Elena forced him to talk about his feelings sometimes, but with friends was just unacceptable. He didn't talk about his feelings with Courtney, he just knew and that was the way he wanted it to stay. But maybe that wasn't good enough for her. Maybe Courtney wanted a friend she could talk to, not just someone who could sense her feelings. Girls always needed that extra mile and talk about what they're feeling. Courtney was holding Elena _hostage _though. Her sister and that angered Damon. He cared about them both so much, and just the thought of one of them dying made him so angry. He wanted someone to blame.

Stefan couldn't comprehend his feelings. He loved Elena passionately and that would never fade, but he loved Courtney unconditionally. There was no way he could pick between the two of them, and yet he felt like he had to. Courtney was crazy and suicidal while Elena was caring and giving; he knew one of them had to die. With Courtney, everything just came so easily. He was happy to give her what she wanted, he could easily talk with her, and as much as he said it with Elena, Courtney actually made him feel human. The way the younger twin made him feel was indescribable. She didn't make him feel the way Elena or Katherine made him feel; almost better, but Elena was there first. His love for Elena had always been there and it'd never fade. Yet with Elena, he'd already lost her. As much as she said that she'd wait for Stefan, he knew that they'd never be the same. He lost Elena _and _Courtney. Stefan would have to pick between the two girls he loved.

Bonnie was just confused. Courtney was said to be dead by Stefan and Klaus, but it turned out that she just used the undead spell to trick all of them and she was really alive. It also turned out that Courtney was mad at all of them and she was going to get her revenge on all their asses no matter if they didn't even know the reason they were getting revenge-d on. She thought Courtney was her best friend, and Bonnie would still do anything for her, but Elena's life was on the line. Would she sacrifice Elena to _possibly _get Courtney back or say goodbye to Courtney for real and get Elena back who'd they always made sacrifices for. Maybe this was a test. To see if they'd made the choice to give Courtney up for Elena _again. _They'd done it so many times before and Bonnie knew Courtney was so fed up with it. And apparently she was all of a sudden suicidal? Where did that come from? Courtney always had a big smile on her face with a hearty laugh or making people laugh. How did she go from happy-shiny to homicidal and suicidal? There had to be someone to blame.

Jeremy couldn't understand what was going on. Both of his sister's lives were on the line and he had to choose. Courtney: the sister who'd always been there for him. Who played video games with him, snuck out with him, and stayed up late to listen to him bitch about his friends. Courtney had always been the sister he was closest to, even with her distant the last few weeks, he'd been closer with her than he'd ever been with his other sister. When he thought he lost Courtney, the pain was unbearable. Jeremy thought that he was going to go off the rails again like what happened with his parents, except it'd be worse. Elena: the sister who'd always protected him. Jeremy knew that both of his sisters were selfless, but his oldest sister was the most protective of him. She'd do anything for Jeremy, anything to protect him and he was so grateful for that. If Elena was gone, he wouldn't be able to function. He felt as though he owed her for all the times she tried to protect him. If Elena died, he would feel guilty for not being able to save her the way she saved him so many times. Jeremy would have to pick between the sisters he loved so very much.

Klaus was going to pick Courtney. He had enough hybrids to last him forever. He didn't need Elena anymore, but he did need Courtney. Klaus believed that he was going to be the one to bring her back from the edge and whisk her away from all the Mystic Falls bullshit. She needed a permanent break from the drama that went on around here and he could be the one to take her away from it. Courtney was the girl he really loved. Tatia used to be his true love, but that was before he met Katherine. He thought he loved Katherine too, and he was genuinely distraught that he had to use her in the sacrifice but it was what he had to do. Then there was Courtney. The one girl who upstaged both of his past loves and created something so beautiful with him. Klaus didn't understand why he felt this way about Courtney. She could make him want to give her the world or crush her whole family just because she wouldn't give him a kiss. Words weren't useful to describe the love he had for Courtney and the love he knew she had for him. If it really came down to it, Klaus would pick Courtney.

Caroline was conflicted. Her best friend or her best friend? Elena was giving and she knew that Elena would want them all to pick Courtney over her; just for that, Caroline thought that Elena deserved to live. But then she thought of all the times Courtney was there for her. What about all the breakups Courtney went through with Caroline, all the times she blamed it on herself when it was really Caroline's doing when they got in trouble or when she fought that girl for Caroline? Courtney listened to all of her problems, her bitch fits, and sat through chick-flicks just because Caroline was feeling bad about a breakup. Courtney was the best friend Caroline could ever ask for, but she was crazy. If she picked the youngest twin, there was a possibility that she wouldn't be fine again. And if she picked Elena, then there was a possibility Elena wouldn't forgive them for picking her over Courtney. Caroline loved both girls deeply, but the choice still stood: Courtney or Elena?

The silence was deafening as they all thought. Everyone but Klaus and Alaric were conflicted between the two girls. Klaus had his mind set on saving Courtney and Alaric had his mind set on saving them both. He knew Courtney would instantly regret killing her sister and he knew that she was smart enough to think ahead.

Damon finally broke the silence. "Who are we going to save?"

* * *

Courtney hung up the phone with a smile. Elena continued to beg for Courtney to let her go, but all Courtney heard was just muffled screams. After a while, Courtney got annoyed with not being able to understand Elena, so she just took the cloth off of Elena's face.

"Thank you. And why are you doing this? We're sisters, and I love you. What's going on, Courtney?"

There was so much pain in Courtney's eyes even though she was smiling that Elena saw. It pained her too that Courtney was so hurt. She thought she was dead, but really she was just alive and insane. Elena wanted to end it all and make sure that she was fine with living life. Elena wanted to end Courtney's pain and insanity and go back to their normal lives, or as normal as they could get.

Courtney's smile dropped and so did she. Elena could hear Courtney's cries even though she was hiding her face in her hands. She fought against the binds, trying to get to her. Finally, Courtney used her powers to break the ropes and Elena fell to the ground with Courtney. Even though she just heard Courtney say she was going to kill her, Elena wanted to comfort her sister. She'd do anything for her sister.

"Shh, shh, it's okay," Elena mumbled to her sister. "It's fine. Courtney, stop crying and tell what's going on."

Courtney's sobs continued to rack up in her body. There was no stopping the pain from spilling out. Of course if this was in front of anyone else, she'd instantly keep it all inside. With Elena, Courtney knew she wasn't going to get judged.

"It's not fair, Elena," she sobbed. "I don't understand why he didn't come back to me. He lied to me." Everything Courtney had to say, Elena knew nothing about. She didn't know who Courtney was talking about, but she'd just listen.

"Who are you talking about, Court?"

"Ryan."

Elena knew that name. He was Courtney's first boyfriend. Her first love. The first person that ever died on Courtney. Everyone knew that Courtney loved Ryan so passionately that she broke rules for him, but he was dead. He died a long time ago and she was bringing him up again. As much as Elena hated Klaus, she hoped that he replaced Ryan. Mend the pain she felt for him and at least make her forget all the love she had for him.

"Why?" Elena questioned softly.

"I went to look for him," Courtney explained. "Find a way to bring him back from the dead. Turns out, he's still alive. He faked his death to get away from me and he's not coming back. He didn't want to be with me, so that's why he left. He never came back."

This news was all knew to Elena. She and Courtney attended his funeral; Courtney wrote a beautiful eulogy and he was still alive? Ryan put her through that pain just because he wanted to break up with her? Elena was convinced Ryan loved Courtney. He wasn't a good influence on her at all and he was an older guy, but she still loved to see Courtney happy with him. Hearing that he faked his death just to get away from her was outrageous. Right there and then, Elena mentally promised if she ever saw him again, she'd kill him for hurting Courtney.

"Courtney, I'm so sorry… If he wanted to do that, he's not worth it. You are worth so much more than him and he doesn't deserve you. But Courtney, there are so many people who love you. There's no need to be hung up on him," Elena argued softly. "You have Klaus, who surprisingly has heart to love you and Tyler who may be dating Caroline, but he loves you so much. And Bonnie, Damon, Stefan, Caroline, Jeremy, Alaric, and me. You have me."

Courtney was silent. Elena didn't know if that meant she was thinking about getting up and wiping the tears off her face to walk out with Elena and start over or if that meant that she was thinking about killing herself again. Elena just loved her little sister so much and she was not someone Elena was going to let die.

"'Lena?" Courtney began. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Anything."

"I need you to kill me." Elena's initial thought was _of course, _but then she really realized what Courtney was talking about. There was no way Elena was giving up her sister. No, she'd do anything for Courtney, except that. Elena already thought she lost her once, she wasn't actually going to lose Courtney if she had anything to do with it.

"Never."

Courtney begged, "Please, Elena. I need this. You need this." Courtney looked up to her sister with tears in her eyes. "I killed you. You're in transition to be a vampire."

That's when Elena realized the light was bright; she could hear the birds outside, and she could listen to Courtney's heartbeat. Elena was in transition to be a vampire _again._ She didn't realize it because she was too busy trying to get to Courtney, trying to talk to her. Then she remembered how she could hear Stefan's voice on the other line.

_Oh, no. What did she do?_

"I've given you my life force," Courtney continued. "All you have to do is kill me."

_Not happening._

"You can either keep me alive and become a vampire or kill me and go back to being a human. Please choose human."

Elena couldn't keep the tears in. She just didn't want this to happen at all. "Courtney, why would you do this to me? I'm your sister."

Courtney looked away from Elena. She was already ashamed of herself for doing this to Elena. She'd said many times that she never wanted to become a vampire and that's exactly the choice Courtney took away from Elena. Courtney was already disgusted with herself; she couldn't bear Elena being mad at her too.

"I know, Elena, I'm sorry for turning you into a vampire. But all you have to do is kill me."

Elena looked even more disgusted. "You think _that's _what this is about? You think this is about turning me into a vampire?" Courtney looked up into Elena's eyes again, confused. "This is about making me kill you. How dare you make me lose another family member? How dare you make me lose you?"

"You love me, don't you?" Courtney asked, causing Elena to nod furiously. "Then you need to let me die. It's what I want."

They both heard cars pull up.

_Compulsion est amicus tuus._

"You are going to kill me," Courtney compelled Elena. "Then you're going to have a funeral and you're going to say goodbye to me. And invite Katherine."

Elena looked confused. She didn't understand why she was feeling so strongly about killing Courtney or why she wanted to have a funeral for her. Or why she wanted to invite Katherine.

Before Elena could ask what was happening, Courtney already had a knife to Elena's throat. Her tears were dried up and wiped away. Stefan, Damon, Klaus, and Caroline all appeared at the entrance of the tomb. They were about to take a step in the tomb until Courtney warned them, "I put the spell back up. Take a step in this tomb, you'll never get out. That includes witches and humans."

Bonnie, Jeremy, and Alaric all appeared as she was talking.

"Stop this," Klaus demanded. "Come out, Courtney."

"Court, what are you doing?"

"I'm having fun," she replied. Elena didn't comprehend why Courtney could admit everything to Elena without the façade, but as soon as her friends came, Courtney's wall was back up again. She admitted things to them before she went all crazy, but now she was just as cold as the knife against Elena's neck.

"Courtney, please," Jeremy begged and Courtney scoffed. On the inside, she was aching to just hug Jeremy without a second thought. She wanted to go home with him and Elena and just watch movies together, forget everything supernatural for just one night.

"No." Damon scoffed, making Courtney raise an eyebrow. "Damon, do you even have feelings? Do you love anyone aside from Elena? And aside from yourself? Are you that selfish that you would ruin my life?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I was fine without you!" Courtney screamed, actually letting some emotion come out. "I was fine without your stupid vampirism, or werewolves, or witches, or doppelgangers! I had a normal life. I was fine! And then you came into my life."

Realization hit everyone standing there, including Elena.

"You just wanted a normal life," Stefan breathed.

A single tear dropped from Courtney's eyes before she shoved the knife Elena's hands. "Do it now," she demanded of Elena.

The compulsion clicked in Elena's brain and she turned around to kill Courtney. As much as Elena didn't want to do it, she shoved the knife in Courtney's heart. Straight in her heart.

Right as Courtney dropped, so did Elena.

"No!" Caroline and Bonnie screamed at the same time. No matter what Courtney said, they all ran into the tomb without regard of knowing they'd be stuck. While Damon and Alaric checked Elena, the rest of them were huddled around Courtney.

Damon was relieved to find that Elena had a pulse and checked over to look at Courtney. Caroline and Bonnie were sobbing while Jeremy stared at the walls with tears in his eyes. Courtney Gilbert was officially dead.

Klaus stood up in rage and started yelling. He knocked over candles and chairs in blinding pain. His true love was dead. Another one was gone. Klaus was so set on making Courtney the one he would love and protect forever, but that didn't happen. She was done. She was gone. Courtney was dead.

Caroline and Bonnie held each other away from Courtney, for they couldn't look at her dead body any longer. Jeremy was breathing heavily on the other side of the tomb, leaning on a wall for support. Damon was holding Elena in his hands while Alaric was just lying on the ground, wondering what was happening really. Stefan was the only one who stuck by Courtney's body.

Her beautiful brown eyes were wide open. They were wet with tears. Even though she was dead, there was still life in her eyes. Stefan couldn't bear to see her dead eyes open. He closed them, touching her still warm skin.

There was a gasp from Elena's body as she woke up. Elena panicked, remembering the horrible dream she just woke up from. Courtney was killed in that dream, by her. Damon tried to calm her by holding her closer to him, but she started to panic even more when she realized that it wasn't a dream. Courtney compelled Elena to kill her. Elena's sister was finally dead.

Damon couldn't keep Elena in his arms. She wiggled her way out to see Courtney's dead body, lying with the knife in her heart that Elena put there. Stefan tried to pull her away from seeing her dead sister, but Elena refused.

"Courtney, no! No!" Elena screamed. "Why are you gone? Please, come back. Please, please, please, please! Come back to me! I'm sorry… I'm so, so, so, so sorry. Please, please."

Elena kept mumbling and apologizing to Courtney. Jeremy finally decided that was enough after a few minutes. He picked Elena up, despite her screaming and protesting, and carried her out of the tomb. No one knew what to say. They all just cried.

Courtney Gilbert was dead.

* * *

The rain had finally stopped. They could actually have her funeral. Courtney's compulsion on Elena wore off the second she died, but Elena still felt as though Katherine deserved to say goodbye to Courtney just as everyone else.

Jeremy and Tyler refused to come. Jeremy didn't even go home the night of her death. They'd both been MIA the whole time; Elena suspected that they were together getting drunk. They all sat in their chairs as Elena introduced herself.

"Courtney was the best sister. I know she was jealous of me, but she had nothing to be jealous of. Everyone loved her. I loved her. I still love her. And she deserved better. So much better than what she got. And if she were here right now, I'd her and tell her I love. Then I'd apologize. I have so much to apologize for. For our parents, for Vicki, for Ryan, for the supernatural drama, for our aunt and our uncle. All Courtney wanted was a normal life, and she could have gotten it. Instead she died. And I want to apologize to everyone. You all loved her and I killed her long before she died. But I loved her so much. Courtney will always be the one that got away, and yet, she's still here. I love you sis, and I'm sorry." Elena wanted to say more, but she couldn't. Her tears wouldn't allow her to.

She stepped down from the podium. _Court, I love you so much._

Caroline welcomed Elena in her arms to cry. Damon was the next up to talk for his best friend. He hadn't shed a tear this whole time. In the last four days, he didn't acknowledge once that she was dead. Damon was convinced that he'd bring her back.

"Simply," he began, "she was amazing. She was my best friend. And I intend to bring her back because she deserves so much more. I wanted to give her everything, but I couldn't. I wasn't a good friend. I didn't protect her; I didn't save her. I promise to find Ryan and end him. He was stupid enough to leave Courtney, so he's not smart enough to live. No point in saying goodbye. Courtney IS coming back."

Damon walked off the podium and sat next Stefan again. Elena shook her head at Damon. He just couldn't give it up, could he? Courtney was gone, and there was nothing any of them could do about it. She was searching for a way to bring Ryan back, and even though she found out he wasn't dead, she still never found a way to bring him back. There's no way she's coming back alive. Resurrection was impossible.

Next was Stefan's turn.

"Courtney was the funniest girl I ever met. And yet, she was so unhappy. I wish that I could turn back time and make her smile more than she really did. When she did smile, it was as bright as the sunrise. She gave everything for everyone. While she was selfish, she was still selfless. She wanted to help her sister, Katherine and her boyfriend all at the same time. Courtney was the most giving person I ever met, and she was hurt by all of us. Courtney truly was one of the best people I ever met and she did deserve better."

Klaus was next. His was as short as: "As you all know, Courtney was my lover. And all I wish was that she stuck with me. She'd be alive today."

He didn't care that he might have offended anyone. He knew that no one was going to argue with him at her funeral. Klaus returned to his seat in the back of the cemetery, where no one joined him. Though he was alone, he was perfectly fine sitting alone. He didn't even want to leave Courtney's body with these people, he wanted to take her back to his family, where the rest of them lay, and do the same as Damon: find a way to bring her back.

Katherine was the second to last one. "I have to thank her. Courtney gave me someone to love. She gave me a daughter to love. And Stefan's right; she did fight for everyone. She's the most selfish selfless person I've ever met. _Raĭna , ti beshe neveroyatno, i mi se iska da znaesh, che si po-dobre. No az te obicham." _Rayna, you were amazing, and I wish I knew you better. I love you.

As soon as she was done, Katherine was gone. Klaus allowed her to live long enough to say something for Courtney, but he promised her that he'd kill her if she didn't get out of dodge. As much as Katherine wanted to stay to see her daughter get lowered into the ground, Katherine fled.

The witch was the last one. She had the most tears for Courtney. For some reason, Bonnie was so impacted by her death, she felt a real pain. Bonnie didn't inform anyone of her pain because she thought she was overreacting.

"All Courtney wanted was normality. And we took that away from her. There's nothing more I wish than to give her a normal teenage life, even though she wasn't normal herself. Courtney was funny and loving and smart and perfect. I love her."


End file.
